I Want You Bad
by LucretiaDecoy
Summary: A totally AU Ultimate Muscle fic, based around the Generation Ex Saga. After he rescues her from Cranky Doodle Craw Daddy, Roxanne falls in love with Kid Muscle. Trixie falls for Terry, and Kiki falls for another famous Chojin warrior; but her crush could spell trouble for the others. (Repost of 2004 fic.)
1. Prologue

**A/N:** All characters are called by their English dub names.

* * *

 **Prologue**

Roxanne grimaced as the crushing armour Cranky Doodle Craw Daddy had placed on her tore at her clothing.

"Kid!" she cried desperately, as she sighted Kid lying in the centre of the ring, seemingly defeated. "Kid Muscle!"

"Your pathetic cries of help are no use now!' Cranky Doodle shouted at her. 'And now, it's time to finish this off!"

"No!" Roxanne squealed.

She struggled some more, trying her best to free her arms; but her struggle was in vain.

"Kid, you have to get up!" she screamed at Kid Muscle. "Please, Kid! I promise I'll go on a date with you if you beat this jerk!"

As if by a miracle, Kid leapt to his feet, ready to fight on. Roxanne sighed with relief, watching on as Kid and Cranky Doodle grabbed hands in a test of strength.

As she watched Kid fight, Roxanne found herself smiling. Sure, he was the biggest goof she had ever met, but she could not help but find his eagerness to please her endearing. He had been trying so hard to win her affections, and although most would have seen his efforts as desperate or even disturbed, Roxanne thought it was actually quite cute and sweet of the prince.

But just as Roxanne was drifting into a deeper daydream about Kid Muscle, she was brought abruptly back to the match at hand as Cranky Doodle managed to wrap up Kid in the same unforgiving straight jacket armour he had enslaved Roxanne in.

"Kid Muscle!" she called out, as Cranky Doodle began to get the upper hand. "Come on, Kid, fight back! Kick his ass!"

Cranky Doodle glanced at Roxanne from the corner of his eye as he held Kid in his claw.

"I'm getting tired of the sound of your annoying voice!" he yelled, before launching Kid at Roxanne.

Roxanne opened her mouth to scream, but all that escaped her throat was a gust of air as Kid's body slammed into her midsection. The restricting device Cranky Doodle had locked Roxanne up with tightened suddenly, and the resulting pain and restriction on her lungs caused Roxanne to pass out.

When Roxanne awoke, she was lying looking up at the sky. She blinked a few times to focus against the glare of the sun in her face, but was eventually able to make out Kid's face above her. He was cradling her upper body in his arms, resting her head in the crook of one elbow as he waited for her to come round.

"Roxanne!" Marie gasped, kneeling down by her side.

"Are you alright, Roxanne?" Meat asked, frowning at her over Marie's shoulder.

Roxanne looked at them both for a moment, before turning to look up at Kid. He smiled softly as their eyes met, brushing a stray lock of hair from her cheek with one finger. Roxanne smiled back at him, reaching out a hand to touch his as it fell from her cheek.

"I'm alright now," she whispered, winking at Kid.


	2. No Hope for Kiki!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ultimate Muscle, or any of the characters within this story.

 **Recap:** Kid won an impromptu match against Cranky Doodle Craw Daddy, and won Roxanne's love.

* * *

 **Chapter One – No Hope for Kiki!**

"Wow Roxanne, we didn't think you'd ever actually hook up with Kid Muscle!" Trixie said, sitting down on the couch next to her friend.

"Me neither!" Roxanne replied, laughing to herself.

"I'm really surprised, Roxanne!" Kiki added, sitting at Roxanne's other side with a bucket of popcorn. "I mean, you normally go for the tough guys. Kid seems like a bit of a coward to me."

"A bit of a coward?" Roxanne scoffed, turning to look at Kiki. "Kiki, just in case you'd forgotten, you're the one who dates the cowards!"

"We all know Kiki likes to date pencil-necked, effeminate losers, but we're not here to talk about Kiki," Trixie drawled, causing Kiki to yelp in offence. "We're here to talk about you, Roxanne. You and Kid Muscle."

"Well, we're having our first official date tomorrow night, so I'll be hitting the mall tomorrow for a new dress," Roxanne answered.

"Are you girls trying to say I have bad taste in men?" Kiki asked, frowning as she glanced between her two friends.

"Just think, Roxanne, you'll finally get to see what Kid Muscle looks like underneath that stupid mask he wears all the time," Trixie said to Roxanne, ignoring Kiki's question.

"Yeah, I know!" Roxanne replied. "I hope he's cute!"

"I hear Kevin Mask is like totally gorgeous under his mask," Trixie added.

"I just hope he does take the mask off sometimes," Roxanne said with a frown of concern. "I mean, every other person from planet Muscle wears one of those ugly masks, except for Kid's mother. Maybe it's like some sort of religious thing, or something."

"How are you meant to kiss him with that thing on his face?"

"I don't know."

"Hey, are you guys ignoring me deliberately?" Kiki asked, shuffling further towards the edge of the sofa to get a better view of both her friends' faces.

"Well anyway, now that I've got a Chojin boyfriend, what about you girls?" Roxanne continued. "Wouldn't it be cool if we all had boyfriends in the Muscle League?"

"That would be pretty cool, but it's never gonna happen," Trixie pointed out. "There aren't any Muscle Leaguers soft enough for Kiki."

"Hey!" Kiki protested, waving her hands above her head.

"What about Dik Dik Van Dik?" Roxanne suggested.

"Dik Dik Van Dik? Kiki can't date him!" Trixie dismissed. "Even though Dik Dik loses every match he's in, and is like a total nature freak, he's still way too much of a tough guy for Kiki."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Roxanne sighed. "What about Wally? He's a real pushover."

"Wally Tusket? Jeez, Roxanne, have you ever gotten close to that guy? He totally stinks of fish!" Trixie replied, holding her nose and sticking out he tongue for effect.

"Guys, do I get a say in this?" Kiki asked.

"You know Trixie, I'm beginning to think there isn't anyone in the entire IWF that's suitable for Kiki," Roxanne said to Trixie.

"Yeah, it sure seems that way," Trixie sighed, flopping back to slouch in the couch.

"Guys, maybe I don't want to date anyone from the IWF!" Kiki moaned.

"Well, are we gonna watch some TV or not?" Roxanne asked.

"Oh yeah, of course!" Trixie laughed, sitting forwards again to retrieve the remote.

Trixie switched on the television, and began to skip through the channels, searching for something of interest.

"Guys!" Kiki said, raising her voice above its usual soft, subdued tones. "I was trying to ask you a question!"

"Shh, Kiki, there's an update from the IWF on!" Roxanne warned her, as she and Trixie sat forwards to watch the footage from the Hercules Factory press conference.

Kiki sighed in despair, falling back against the couch, folding her arms in a silent huff. She rolled her eyes to the ceiling, barely listening as Vance McMadd spoke about four new Muscle Leaguers coming to Earth. In Kiki's own opinion, the existing Muscle Leaguers on Earth were all boring anyway, so what difference would four more make?

* * *

"Wow, Roxanne, you always manage to get us front row seats!" Kiki said, as they sat down behind Doc Nakano and Mac Metaphor, facing the stage where the new Muscle Leaguers were to make their debut.

"Kiki, don't be so stupid!" Trixie sighed, rolling her eyes in despair. "Think about it! Ever since Kid Muscle has had his little crush on Roxanne, he's been GIVING her front row tickets!"

Trixie and Roxanne laughed loudly at Kiki's ignorance, but Kiki merely turned her head away from them. Although Kiki was very easygoing and mild-tempered, it really angered her sometimes when Trixie poked fun at her.

Kiki silently resolved to be as disinterested as possible in the forthcoming events. She had never liked wrestling, and had never wanted to go to the IWF matches in the first place; but, as usual, she had been outvoted two to one. She would have infinitely preferred a good girly movie, or a picnic in the park, or even an evening at the amusement park.

But because Trixie and Roxanne liked to watch big, sweaty men throw each other around a wrestling ring, she had to endure it too.

As Vance McMadd introduced the four new members of the Muscle League, known as Generation X, Kiki still refused to turn her head. She began to reflect over all the hours she had passed in the IWF arenas, and all the matches she had witnessed thus far.

She had to admit that, as much as she had disliked wrestling in the past, she had enjoyed some of the more exciting matches she had watched with her two friends. And Trixie and Roxanne had been her best friends since her very first day at school. They were more like sisters to her than friends, and she knew, deep down, that all their teasing wasn't really meant to hurt her feelings.

Kiki decided she could not sulk with her friends a moment longer. She hated it when any of them did not speak, and so she started to turn towards them to make amends.

As she turned her head, Kiki caught sight of the four new Muscle Leaguers, briefly noting that this four seemed even more bizarre and unusual than Kid Muscle, Terry Canyon, Wally Tusket and Dik Dik Van Dik put together.

"Trixie, Roxanne, I'm gonna go get some sodas, you girls want anything?" she asked her friends, as a peace offering.

"Oh Kiki, don't go now!" Roxanne urged, grabbing her arm. "You'll miss the best part! Generation X are about to pick their opponents for the first round match!"

"Oh," Kiki said, nodding her head. "Then I'll just wait until they're done."

Kiki turned towards the stage, looking directly at the new muscle leaguers for the first time. Just as she had initially thought, this four were, by far, the weirdest members of the Muscle League. One of them was a sort of android made from road signals, one was a humanoid jellyfish with no visible eyes, one was an ordinary man, but he was dressed in unusual clothing, including an overly large, bright green helmet, and the last Chojin was an extremely tall and large-built man, dressed in a beige suit, his features shadowed by a wide-brimmed hat.

"Does anyone mind if I go first?" the man in the green helmet asked the others.

Kiki turned to Mac Metaphor, listening to his comment on this.

"And Jaeger is up first!" he said. "And he's pushed the yellow button! I wonder who his opponent will be, Doc?"

Kiki turned back to the stage, watching carefully with the rest of the hushed audience as a circular hole opened up in the stage, and the head of a Chojin appeared, rising from the ground.

As the spotlights shifted onto the rising platform, Kiki saw that it was Dik Dik Van Dik, carrying a lemon in one hand.

"Dik Dik doesn't stand a chance against Jaeger!" Roxanne muttered to her friends.

"What are you talking about?" Trixie laughed. "Dik Dik never wins his matches anyway, regardless of who his opponent is!"

Roxanne laughed out loud, and even Kiki afforded Trixie's remark with a small smile.

As the three girls watched on, the giant jellyfish, known as Hydrozoa, pressed the purple button, raising Wally Tusket through the stage, carrying a bunch of purple grapes.

"Of course, Wally never wins a match either…" Trixie muttered.

Next, the tall suited man, called Eskara, pushed the red button, raising Terry Canyon, who was munching on a red apple, with one hand rested on his hip.

"Now Terry's a different matter altogether!" Trixie cooed, arching an eyebrow at Terry.

"Trixie's got a little crush on Terry," Roxanne whispered to Kiki.

They exchanged knowing smiles, before turning back as the road signal android, Road Rage, pressed the final button, the platform rising behind him.

"Wow, look at Kid," Trixie gasped, as Kid Muscle appeared, looking stern and determined, a watermelon hooked under one arm. "I guess love must be good for his career, Roxanne, he looks so tough!"

"Yeah, Kid's turning over a new leaf," Roxanne agreed. "From now on he… Oh my God, is he pissing himself?"

The three girls stared in horror as they realised that Kid Muscle was, in spite of his hardened outwards appearance, urinating into his tights.

Road Rage and Kid began to argue, and Roxanne and Trixie began to debate the root of Kid's incontinence; but Kiki's attention was elsewhere. Although she couldn't explain why, she was unable to take her eyes off of the one person no-one else in the arena was paying any attention to right then.

* * *

In the next chapter, Terry has a crazy plan and Meat gets mad!


	3. Terry's Crazy Plan

**A/N: ** I don't know what colour of eyes Kiki has, I think they are probably just black, but I've made them green, since everything else about Kiki is green!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Ultimate Muscle, or any of the characters within this story. I'm just borrowing them for my own amusement.

 **Recap:** Generation X have chosen their first round opponents, and the diminutive Kiki has her eye on someone…

* * *

 **Chapter Two – Terry's Crazy Plan**

Trixie glowered at her watch, sighing loudly in frustration. As she looked up again, she met Kiki's eyes, and Kiki quickly smiled at her, touching a hand to her elbow sympathetically.

"This is stupid!" Trixie sighed. "What are we waiting for? And why is it taking so long?"

"Roxanne said she had to speak to Kid about something, I'm sure she won't be much longer," Kiki offered.

"If she doesn't get out here soon, I'm going in there!" Trixie said decisively, slamming a fist into her open palm.

"She asked us to wait here, Trixie!" Kiki pointed out.

"I'm counting to ten, and then I'm going in there!" Trixie said sternly. "One!"

"Trixie…"

"Two!"

"I'm sure she won't be much longer-"

"Three!"

Kiki sighed, turning to one side as she tried to think of a way to stall Trixie.

"Four!"

"Trixie, maybe… Maybe we should just-"

"Five!"

"Go to the diner and wait there for-"

"Six!"

"Roxanne, because I'm sure she won't be much-"

"Seven!"

"Longer now. We could get a coffee-"

"Eight!"

"And by the time we're done, Roxanne should be-"

"Nine!"

"Ready to join us!"

"Ten! That's it, I'm going in!"

"Trixie!"

Trixie kicked open the back door of the arena, and stepped into the building, disappearing from Kiki's sight. Kiki paused, glancing back and forth between the door and the street outside. Just as she was deciding what she should do, Trixie leaned back out the doorway, and grabbed her shirt, dragging her through the door.

Before Kiki could protest, Trixie had shut the door, and was marching down the hall, dragging Kiki behind her.

"Trixie, Kiki, over here!"

Trixie skidded to a halt at the sound of Roxanne's voice, causing Kiki to stumble into her heels.

"Roxanne, what are you doing?" Trixie called to their friend.

"I'm going undercover with the guys to check out those Generation X guys!" Roxanne replied, pulling up the hood of the floor-length black robe she was wearing. "Do you want to join us?"

"Sure!" Trixie squealed, skipping over to join them.

Kiki remained where she was, tilting her head to one side, her eyes widening as she watched Kid Muscle enshroud himself in a black robe like Roxanne's.

"Here, Trixie, you can have this one," Terry said, stepping towards Trixie with a deep blue robe in his hands.

"Gee, thanks, Terry!" Trixie said sweetly, holding out her arms and allowing him to dress her in the disguise.

"I still think we look more obvious dressed like this," Wally said with a frown as he tied the waistband of his robe. "Seven people dressed in hooded robes sort of stand out, don't you think?"

"Are you trying to say dressing in hooded robes will make us more conspicuous than walking around as ourselves would?" Dik Dik asked him.

"Well, yeah," Wally replied.

"I see," Terry said, smiling at Dik Dik. "And I suppose a walkin', talkin' walrus and gazelle would look perfectly normal walkin' through the streets of this here planet?"

Wally sighed, pulling up his hood to hide his face.

"Alright, you win," he muttered from under the folds of his hood.

"Kiki, will you be joining us?" Dik Dik asked Kiki, as he spotted her hanging back from the group, eying them cautiously.

"I don't know, what if we get caught?" she whispered.

"You'll be fine, I'll look after you," Dik Dik assured her, grabbing up another robe and walking towards her.

"Well…"

Kiki looked at the heavy, dark robe in Dik Dik's hands for a moment, before raising her eyes to his. He smiled warmly at her, shaking out the garment and holding it up for her to slip her arms into.

"Okay, but we stay at the back," she told him, turning to push her arms into the sleeves. "And at the first sign of trouble, I'm leaving. And you're coming with me!"

"Of course," Dik Dik agreed with a bow of his head.

He waited for Kiki to fasten her robe, then held out his arm to her. She hooked her arm through his, pulling up her hood with her other hand as he did the same himself.

"So what's the plan?" Roxanne asked Terry, holding open her hood to watch him as she spoke.

"Well, if y'all just follow me, I'll take us downtown to yonder hotel those guys are staying at. We can scope 'em out for ourselves, maybe get us an early advantage if we can spot some of their weaknesses."

"Sounds great!" Kid Muscle replied. "Just so long as we stop for food on the way back!"

The others sweatdropped as a line of drool escaped from beneath Kid's hood.

"Sure Kid," Terry said slowly. "Let's just go, yeah?"

And with that, Terry, Kid, Dik Dik, Wally, Roxanne, Trixie and Kiki all left the building in search of the new Chojin warriors known as "Generation X".

* * *

Roxanne climbed onto Kid's shoulders to spy through the window at the hotel gym. Next to them, Terry helped Trixie onto his shoulders, and Wally climbed up onto a garbage can.

"Kiki?" Dik Dik offered, dropping to one knee and holding out his arms towards her.

"Oh, thanks, Dik Dik," Kiki said, innocently climbing onto his shoulders.

Dik Dik stood up again, approaching the window. The gang watched in silence at first, all carefully studying the five occupants of the gym.

Road Rage and Hydrozoa were running on treadmills, whilst Jaeger and Eskara were lifting weights. A mysterious figure in a large hat and long trenchcoat stood between Jaeger and Eskara, his arms folded, his legs astride.

"What is with those guys?" Trixie whispered. "Where are their eyes?"

"Say what?" Terry echoed, peeking up at her from under his hood.

"Well, Road Rage and Hydrozoa don't seem to have any eyes at all, Jaegar and that guy in long coat have both got their eyes covered over, and Eskara's eyes don't look real. I think he's wearing some sort of mask, or something."

"Gee, Trixie, I never noticed that before!" Roxanne agreed. "Where are their eyes? It's kinda creepy!"

"Okay, ladies, we're not here to discuss eyes, we're here to look for their weaknesses!" Terry interrupted them.

The gang fell silent, and concentrated on the Chojins inside the hotel gym, carefully monitoring their every movement.

After a few minutes of silence had passed, a strange creaking sound began to fill the air, getting louder and louder by the minute.

"Kid, is that you?" Terry snapped at Kid Muscle.

"What?" Kid yelped. "Why do you always have to blame me when someone farts?"

"Because it always is you, Kid," Dik Dik darkly replied.

"It's not Kid, you guys," Roxanne said. "The sound is coming from over by Wally."

"Me?" Wally echoed, pointing at himself indignantly.

"It must be that fish casserole you ate, Wally," Kid said, nodding his head.

Wally took one hand from the wall, tugging down his hood.

"But I'm not farting!" he protested, as the sound grew louder.

"The sound does appear to be coming from you, Wally," Dik Dik said.

Wally took his other hand from the wall, wobbled about for a moment as the sound began to grate on the ears of those around him, before the garbage can he was standing on crumpled to one side. Wally slipped off, and fell into a skip with a resounding clatter, as the bottles inside smashed against the steel sides of the skip.

Kid screamed in fear, and began to urinate, quivering so much Roxanne fell off his shoulders, screaming and grabbing at Trixie and Terry as she fell. Terry grabbed at Roxanne, catching her before she fell. She began to thank him, but before she could finish, Terry staggered into a puddle of Kid's urine, and slipped, falling backwards.

Dik Dik reached out in an attempt to save Trixie, but missed. Terry fell straight back, knocking Trixie off his shoulders. Trixie landed on Kid, who cried out in pain, as she screamed when she found her hand on his wet inner thigh. Roxanne landed on Terry's stomach, winding him in the process.

"What's going on here?" a voice demanded.

Wally leapt out of the skip, and the others struggled to their feet to confront the source of the voice.

"I thought I might find you all here."

"Meat!" Kid gasped.

Meat growled at Kid, crossing his arms sternly as he scowled at the gang.

"Do you know what could have happened if you had been caught here?" he asked them.

"This wasn't my idea, it was all Terry's fault!" Kid whimpered.

"Hey, ya yeller bellied, good for nuthin'-" Terry began to argue back.

"Quiet!" Meat yelled, silencing them all. "Just get away from the window. All of you. We've got a lot of work to do!"

Kid and Terry grumbled at each other, dragging their feet as they followed Meat back down the alleyway. Roxanne and Trixie followed after them, with Trixie winging to Roxanne about Kid's incontinence. Wally followed on behind the two girls, his head hung low as he rubbed the bruising skin on his arm where he had collided with the skip.

"Let's go, before anything else crazy happens," Kiki whispered to Dik Dik.

"Good idea," he agreed, squatting down to allow her to climb off his shoulders.

As he stood up, Dik Dik held out his hand towards Kiki, waiting for her to take hold of it. When she did not, he turned to find she had walked on ahead without him, staring up at the sky as she went, apparently in some sort of daydream. Dik Dik paused, studying her curiously, wondering why she was suddenly in a world of her own, before hurrying after the others.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Dik Dik takes on Jaeger, and is pleased to see Kiki in the audience, looking very happy with what she sees. But is it really Dik Dik that Kiki is so happy to see?


	4. The Power of Love

**Disclaimer:** Nope, I still don't own Ultimate Muscle!

 **Recap:** Meat caught the gang spying on Generation X, and Kiki's mind is still a million miles away; and Dik Dik wants to know where!

* * *

 **Chapter Three – The Power of Love**

Kiki carefully walked along the front row of spectators, balancing her tray of burgers and sodas on her arms as she made her way to her seat. She had arrived a little earlier than Roxanne and Trixie, and so she had decided to go straight to the snack stand and meet them at their ringside seats.

"Gosh, Kiki, Roxanne done told us you was a giving sort of gal, but one burger would have been just dandy, there was no need to go buyin' me two!"

Kiki froze at the last remaining empty seat in her section of the sold out stadium, looking down at the person sitting next to it in confused shock.

"Kiki, you don't look so happy to be seein' me, are you alright?" Terry asked, frowning up at her.

"Terry," Kiki eventually managed.

"Yeah, that's ma name!" Terry laughed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Terry," Kiki recovered. "I thought this was my seat, I must have got the wrong row number. I bought these burgers and cokes for Roxanne, Trixie and me."

"Sweetie, Roxanne and Trixie are at the Achilles' Heel with Kid Muscle, watchin' Wally take on that giant jellyfish!" Terry explained. "Kid wanted to watch Wally's match cause if he wins his first round match, he'll be fightin' the winner. And that's why I'm here. Once I've beaten that "Eskara" feller, I'll be takin' on the winner of this here match-up."

"But…"

Kiki looked down at her tray, which was growing increasingly heavy in her arms, then back at Terry.

"We always go the IWF matches together…" she finished quietly.

"Well, I reckon your friends wanted to come to this match, but it turns out Roxanne wanted to be with Kid," Terry replied.

"What about Trixie?" Kiki moaned. "If Roxanne went to the Achilles' Heel with Kid Muscle, why didn't Trixie come here with me? Why did they leave me all on my own?"

"You're not on your own, Sweetie!" Terry said brightly. "You've got me here! And Dik Dik's comin' up to fight soon! You like Dik Dik, right?"

Kiki sighed softly, sitting down next to Terry.

"I'm sorry Terry," she apologised, handing him a burger. "I didn't mean that I didn't want to sit with you, I just thought it was weird that the girls went somewhere else without telling me."

"Ah, don't worry yourself none," Terry assured her, before biting into his burger.

Kiki smiled at him sweetly, lifting a soda from her tray.

"The main thing is, you're here to cheer Dik Dik on in his match," Terry continued, through a mouthful of food. "And I see you even put on a nice short skirt for him."

Kiki spat out the mouthful of soda she had been in process of drinking, turning to stare at Terry with wide, horrified eyes.

"What did you just say?" she gasped.

"Here he comes now, look!" Terry said, ignoring Kiki.

Kiki, with her mouth still hanging open in shock, turned towards the ring, watching as Dik Dik climbed up and through the ropes, waving a hand at the cheering fans. She watched him turn on the spot in the centre of the ring, waving at every side of the audience.

As he passed her section, he paused, and then turned back, grinning and winking directly at her.

"Oh my God!" Kiki mumbled to herself.

"Well now I knew you had a soft spot for ol' Van Dik, but don't ya think that's goin' just an itty bitty too far there?" Terry echoed, frowning at Kiki.

"What?" Kiki asked, turning to look at Terry again.

"You just said Dik Dik was your God!" Terry said, slyly pulling a second burger from the tray whilst Kiki was distracted.

"No I didn't!" Kiki wailed. "I said that… Oh… But…"

"Now now, Kiki, you don't gotta hide anything from me," Terry assured her, winking knowingly at her. "We all know what's goin' on between you and Dik Dik!"

"But nothing's going on between me and Dik Dik!" Kiki protested.

"Oh I understand completely!" Terry replied, winking again and tapping a finger against the side of his nose.

"But…"

Kiki sighed in despair, deciding she was fighting a losing battle. She turned back to the ring in time to see Jaeger step through the ropes, punching a fist into the air as he was introduced to the audience. The reaction he got was almost as vociferous as the cheer Dik Dik had received only moments ago.

Kiki grabbed up a paper napkin from her tray, wiping the soda she had spilt from her chin and her skirt, silently noting that the hemline of her skirt had ridden up quite considerably since she had sat down, no doubt leading to Terry's earlier comment. She tugged at it in frustration, before eventually moving the tray over her bare knees.

She noticed she only had one burger and two sodas left. From the corner of her eye, she saw Terry finishing the second burger, with the third soda in one hand. She smiled to herself, happy at least that her extra purchases would not go to waste. She looked at the tray for a moment longer, quietly wondering why she felt colder.

Kiki lifted her head, turning to look directly at Terry, to see if he had noticed the drop in temperature too. Terry ignored her gesture, remaining slouched in his seat, one hand clutching his soda by his leg, the other arm draped across the back of Kiki's seat.

Kiki looked up at the ring, looking first at Jaeger, than Dik Dik. Dik Dik winked at her again as their eyes met, and she quickly turned away, spotting a dark figure sitting down into a front row seat at the other side of the ring.

"Hey, that guy looks familiar!" Terry said, sitting forwards and pointing at the man Kiki was watching.

The bell rang for the start of the match, and Jaeger ran at Dik Dik; but Terry and Kiki were watching the mysterious stranger.

"Who do you think he is?" Kiki asked Terry. "He looks like the same man who was with Generation X at the gym!"

"I reckon it is the same man!" Terry agreed, glancing at Kiki, then stealing her third, and final, burger.

Kiki watched the mysterious man for a moment longer, before the odd cold feeling hit her again. She shivered involuntarily, her eyes moving unconsciously to the man seated next to the stranger. As she met his eyes, she found him looking directly at her, smiling slightly.

"Yep, I reckon it must be the same guy that was at the gym with Generation X, Kiki!" Terry added. "See he's sittin' with that Eskara feller, my opponent in my match tomorrow!"

"Eskara…" Kiki whispered, tilting her head slightly as she watched him.

Eskara continued to stare back at Kiki, his smile widening slightly as she said his name. He reached up one hand, and tugged at the brim of his large brown hat, in a polite greeting to her. Kiki unconsciously lifted one hand from her lap, waving back at him.

"That's right, Kiki, I'm going to win this one for you, Baby!"

"Huh?" Kiki muttered, turning her head at the sound of a loud voice from inside the wrestling ring.

Dik Dik waved down at her, grinning widely as Jaeger bounced off the ropes, then charged towards him.

"Dik Dik, look out!" Kiki shouted at him, pointing at Jaeger.

"Fear not, my good lady!" Dik Dik called back to her.

Kiki held her breath as Jaeger closed in on Dik Dik; but Dik Dik effortlessly reached down, grabbed Jaeger's legs and threw the German Chojin over his shoulder.

"I have everything under control!" Dik Dik finished, giving Kiki a thumbs up signal.

Kiki sat back in her seat, sighing in relief. Over the shouts of the crowd, the exuberant rantings of Doc Nakano and Mac Metaphor and the thumps and bumps inside the ring, Kiki could just make out a deep, dark laughter, floating through the air to her ears from the other side of the ring. Looking over, Kiki saw Eskara's shoulders twitching as he laughed openly at Dik Dik's exchange with her.

"Look at this!" Dik Dik said loudly, holding one hand up in the air. "How pathetic! It seems Jaeger can't fight without his silly little skull badge!"

"Hey, give that back!" Jaeger roared, stalking Dik Dik from the other side of the ring.

"Really, what does a grown man want with a girly little broche?" Dik Dik teased him.

"You don't understand, you stupid antelope!" Jaeger snapped.

"I'm a gazelle, you cretin!" Dik Dik growled, lowering his hand and closing a fist around Jaeger's skull badge.

"That broche is very important to me, it was given to me by the great Herr Broken Junior!" Jaeger fumed, waving a fist at Dik Dik.

"Broken Junior!" Terry announced, standing from his seat. "That's who that guy is!"

Dik Dik and Jaeger both briefly turned in the direction Terry was pointing, finding Broken Junior, sat silently by Eskara's side. Kiki briefly looked at the man they called Broken Junior, but she soon found her eyes wandering back to Eskara again. He sat forwards as though he was about to stand up, and Kiki suddenly felt a rush of butterflies in her chest.

Why was she reacting this way? Kiki had never felt such an unusual sensation in her life! It was almost as though she had been hoping Eskara was about to walk up to her; but why would she want him to come over to her? She had never even spoken to him, and, apart from the two other occasions she had briefly seen him, she knew nothing about him.

But she knew his name. Eskara. It was unusual and mysterious, and almost sounded like the sort of name an evil mafia boss would have.

And she knew the sound of his voice. That deep, rasping voice, laced with his rich, Italian-American accent. As she thought about his voice, Kiki suddenly felt the odd rush of butterflies race through her chest again.

She quickly clasped a hand to her chest, her eyes widening as she felt her heart pounding against the palm of her hand. What was wrong with her?

"Red Rain of Baron!" Jaeger yelled, swinging one arm up into the air.

Kiki looked up, gasping with the rest of the audience as she saw his hand glowing red as though it was on fire. Jaeger chopped his hand at Dik Dik, who leapt back, narrowly avoiding the attack. A chorus of "ooh"s rang through the stands as Jaeger swung his hand at Dik Dik a second time, again narrowly missing his chest.

"Dik Dik, be careful!" Kiki yelled.

Dik Dik glanced briefly at her, nodding his head to confirm he had heard her warning. As Jaeger swung his hand at Dik Dik for a third time, the gazelle swiftly reached up with both hands, grabbing onto Jaeger's forearm, halting his assault in midair. The warring Chojins remained in that position for a brief moment, both in shock that the Red Rain of Baron had actually been stopped.

Jaeger was the first to respond, roaring out in anger. He kneed Dik Dik in the gut, causing him to double over slightly; but he managed to hold onto Jaeger's arm. Jaeger's attack was enough to rouse Dik Dik's fighting instincts, and he quickly spun around, pulling Jaeger's arm up, then knocking him back down onto the canvas.

Jaeger fell onto his back, and Dik Dik landed on top of him, still tightly holding onto his glowing arm. Dik Dik quickly jumped up to a crouched position, and then pushed himself up into the air, flying up high above the ring. The audience fell silent as they watched him ascend.

As he reached the apex of his climb, Dik Dik turned around so that he was facing the ground. He began to nosedive towards the mat where Jaeger lay, clenching a fist at his side as he fell. In the last few moments before he collided with Jaeger, Dik Dik swung his fist out, stabbing Jaeger in the gut with his deadly antler fist.

Jaeger groaned, then fell silent, his head dropping against the canvas, and the red glow from his hand extinguishing. Dik dik rolled over his shoulder, standing up straight. He paused for a moment, his own disbelief evident in his face. He slowly turned to look over his shoulder, staring at the limp form of Jaeger in the centre of the ring. As the bell rang, Dik Dik visibly jumped in shock, turning to look at the IWF official as he made his announcement.

"And the winner of this first round match is…" he said into the microphone. "Dik Dik Van Dik!"

The audience erupted in a cacophony of applause; but Dik Dik only cared what one audience member thought of his first victory in the IWF.

"Kiki…" he said softly, turning to where she stood, looking up at the ring.

Although she was not cheering and applauding like the other audience members, the look on Kiki's face was enough to satisfy Dik Dik. She had one hand clutched to her chest, her green eyes were wide and sparkling, and she was gently biting into her lower lip. She looked very pleased with what she saw; the expression on her face, her body language, her clothing; it was all too much for Dik Dik.

He walked over to the ropes, grabbing onto them. Terry leapt over the barrier to greet him, walking towards him with open arms of congratulations. Dik Dik stepped through the ropes and dropped to the floor below, walking directly to Kiki, who was still staring up, the same dreamy expression on her face.

"Kiki, my darling," he greeted her, reaching over the barrier to lift her over.

"Thanks, Dik Dik," she said absent-mindedly, slipping from his grasp once she over the barrier, and walking up to the side of the ring.

Dik Dik stared blankly at her as she stood, transfixed, by the ring, twirling a strand of her deep green hair around one finger.

"Congratulations, Dik Dik!" Terry said, dropping a hand onto Dik Dik's shoulder.

"Hey, Van Dik!' a voice shouted from the ring.

Terry and Dik Dik looked up to see Eskara standing by the ropes, looking down at them as Broken Junior tended to Jaeger behind him.

"That's the guy you gotta beat if I don't get him first," Terry whispered to Dik Dik.

But Dik Dik's mind was elsewhere. Looking down from where Eskara stood he saw Kiki gazing up at the Generation X member. All the time Dik Dik had thought Kiki had been looking at him, cheering for him, waving at him, she had been watching Eskara.

"Trust me Terry," Dik Dik growled darkly. "Whether or not you beat Eskara tomorrow, I'll be the one who tears him apart."

Terry pulled his hand from Dik Dik's shoulder, frowning in surprise at his reaction.

"Hey, Kenyon, don't you go worryin' yourself," Eskara called to Terry. "You won't have to fight your little friend there, cause I'm gonna finish you off tomorrow. Then after I'm done wid you, I'm gonna end Van Dik's career."

"Bring it on!" Dik Dik yelled back, waving his antler fist at Eskara. "I'll be the one ending your career, Eskara!"

"Ooh, I'm tremblin' in my boots!" Eskara laughed. "You're pathetic, Van Dik. And the day after tomorrow, I'm gonna prove your little victory here today was just a one off. You're goin' back to your losin' streak, loser!"

Dik Dik started towards the ring, but Terry quickly grabbed onto him, stopping his progress.

"Never mind about him now, we gotta get ourselves back to the Achilles' Heel, and see how Wally's getting' on against that Hydrozoa feller," Terry said.

"Yes, you're right," Dik Dik agreed, relaxing his taut muscles.

"Hey, Kiki, come on!" Terry called to Kiki. "Let's go catch up with Kid and the girls!"

Kiki ignored Terry, her eyes still fixed on Eskara, as he moved to the centre of the ring, and hoisted Jaeger up in his arms. She sighed dreamily as she watched him, but her reverie was abruptly interrupted as her cellphone began to ring.

She quickly opened her bag and snatched it out.

"Hello?" she said.

"Kiki, it's Roxanne," Roxanne answered her from the other end of the line. "Wally's match is over. Oh, Kiki, it was awful! Hydrozoa's just a monster! He totally overpowered Wally. Kid's run away, he's too scared to fight tomorrow after what he saw. Trixie and I were about to come over there to join you guys to watch Dik Dik's match. How's he getting on?"

"The match is over," Kiki plainly answered.

"Oh God, these Generation X guys are just too good! I hope Terry and Kid do better tomorrow!"

"Dik Dik won."

"What?"

"Dik Dik won. We'll come over to you, yeah?"

"Oh… Okay…"

Kiki hung up her phone and slipped it back into her bag, hurrying over to Terry and Dik Dik.

"Hey you guys, that was Roxanne!" she told them. "She said Wally lost to Hydrozoa, and he's in pretty bad shape. I think we should go over there."

"Right on!" Terry agreed.

"I think I should see a doctor before I go anywhere," Dik Dik advised them.

"Oh, right," Kiki said, nodding her head. "Well, we'll catch you later, yeah?"

Kiki and Terry began to exit the arena, leaving Dik Dik behind to watch them in silent horror. Once they were out of sight, he turned to watch Eskara saunter towards the backstage area, with Jaeger in his arms and Broken Junior at his side.

"I'll get you for this, Eskara…" he grumbled.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Roxanne loses her temper with Kid Muscle (so what's new?!) and Kiki does a little star-gazing with an aptly named Chojin warrior…


	5. Mars

**A/N:** Please excuse the horrible formatting. Since FanFiction changed the editor in document manager, I can't see what I'm uploading, and I can't change it. My browser settings do meet the requirements for the editor, but it still doesn't work on my own : You all know the score. I don't own Ultimate Muscle, or any of these awesome characters I'm writing about.

 **Recap:** Dik Dik was spurred to victory in his first round match against Jaeger, thanks to his love for Kiki. When he found out Kiki was watching Eskara and not him, he got a tad pissed…

* * *

 **Chapter Four – Mars**

"Poor Wally, I hope he gets better soon!" Kiki sighed, looking out across the dancehall. "And you said his mother and his sister saw the whole thing? How awful for them!"

"Awful, yeah," Trixie replied dismissively.

Trixie's disinterested tone, combined with the rustle of her evening gown behind Kiki, was enough to make Kiki suddenly suspicious of just what Trixie was up to. She turned around, finding Trixie hunched over the punch bowl, the silver ladle in one hand and a chunky pint glass in the other.

"Trixie, what are you doing?" Kiki gasped.

"Making this party a bit more like a party," Trixie dryly replied, dispensing another ladleful of punch into her glass. "Now be a good girl, and keep guard for me, yeah?"

"But Trixie-"

"Kiki, if I get caught, we'll both be in big trouble, so just make sure no-one sees me."

Kiki spun around, surveying the dance hall nervously. She had hoped the evening would go smoothly and quietly after Wally had been taken in the intensive care unit at KO Hospital, and Dik Dik had been given orders to rest for 48 hours. The following day had been intended for two simultaneous matches again, but due to Dik Dik's condition and Kid's disappearance, the officials had decided to just have one first round match the next day, and the other the day after that.

"There, was that so hard?" Trixie said, rolling her eyes as she handed a pint glass to Kiki.

Kiki stared at it in horror, before turning to watch as Trixie gulped down a quarter of her own glass in one swift movement.

"Trixie, I can't drink that!" Kiki whispered.

"Of course you can!" Trixie insisted, nudging the glass against her arm.

"Well if you don't want it, give it over here, I need it!" Roxanne said, appearing beside Kiki.

"Roxanne!" Trixie greeted her as Roxanne snatched the glass from Trixie's hand. "Any luck finding Kid Muscle?"

"Don't even ask!" Roxanne grumbled, before repeating Trixie's feat of swallowing back a substantial amount of her drink in one go.

"That good, huh?" Trixie laughed. "Too bad, the officials have put Kid up against Road Rage tomorrow. They say if he doesn't come back for the match, he's out of the IWF!"

"Oh, he'll come back!" Roxanne growled. "Mark my words, he'll come back alright! And if he doesn't, he's gonna have me to answer to!"

Trixie and Kiki exchanged looks of amusement and concern as Roxanne finished her glass of punch in one go.

"More!" she barked, thrusting her glass at Trixie.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Roxanne," Trixie warned her.

"Shut-up and pour, Trixie!" Roxanne snapped.

Trixie silently took Roxanne's glass from her hand, and began to refill it with the ladle. Roxanne crossed her arms, tapping a finger against her elbow impatiently as she watched Trixie delicately filling the glass with the slender ladle.

"Oh, to hell with this!" Roxanne said, pushing past Kiki to get at Trixie. "I wanted you to fill the glass, not do a damn chemistry experiment with it!"

Roxanne snatched the glass from Trixie, and dunked the entire glass into the punch bowl, pushing down until the pink liquid came up to her wrist before scooping the glass out, filled to the brim.

"Ew…" Trixie muttered, as she watched the punch drip off Roxanne's hand and down her forearm.

"Hey, careful there, Roxanne, this may be a party, but I think you're a little too young to be drinking like that!" Meat called over to them, crossing the dance-floor to join them as he spoke.

"What does he know," Roxanne muttered under her breath, before gulping down more punch. "Damn diaper-wearing, middle-aged midget…"

"Don't worry too much, Roxanne, the kid'll turn up," Meat assured her, smiling cheerfully, having obviously missed her last remark. "He does crazy things like this all the time, it's no big deal!"

Roxanne ignored Meat, continuing to drink at her pint of punch.

"Meat's right, Roxanne!" Trixie tried. "Kid is always acting like a coward, but he always manages to deliver the goods in the end. Isn't that why you like him so much?"

Roxanne finished her drink, and dunked her glass back into the bowl, blanking everyone else around her.

"Roxanne!" Meat, Trixie and Kiki all cried in unison, grabbing at her arm.

She struggled against them, somehow managing to slip through them with her glass three-quarters full.

"It's not a full glass," she told them as they made to take the glass from her hand. "And this will be my last."

"Okay," Meat said. "Let's just go sit down somewhere, yeah?"

"Good idea," Trixie said.

Trixie guided Roxanne in the direction Meat was walking, leading her towards a small, unoccupied table. Kiki followed after them at a short distance, dangling her handbag down in front if her legs. She watched it as she walked, kicking at it with her feet. She had really been looking forward to just enjoying herself at the buffet dinner and dance events the IWF were holding in celebration of the ongoing tournament, but it seemed that was not going to be the case.

As she walked, Kiki thought, for the first time, about the true implications of Roxanne dating Kid Muscle. What if they got married? What if Roxanne moved to Muscle Planet with Kid Muscle once the tournament was over? Surely if Roxanne did marry Kid, she would be obliged to go to Muscle Planet, since Kid was the crown prince, and heir to the throne; and all that would mean Kiki's only friend would be Trixie, and Kiki often found Trixie quite hard to deal with on her own. And if Roxanne did leave their group to live with Kid Muscle somewhere else, how long would it be before Trixie did the same thing?

Kiki sighed softly to herself, lifting her head as Meat pulled out a chair for Roxanne. She glanced to one side, looking down a darkened corridor leading off the dance hall towards a fire exit, before looking back at the table again.

Kiki stopped, turning her head to the fire exit once more. She squinted at the door, wondering if her eyes were deceiving her. It almost looked as though the door was slightly open, as though someone had gone through the door, and forgotten to shut it again.

A gust of wind tugged at the door, pulling it open and casting a strip of blue moonlight across the floor of the dark corridor for a brief moment, before the door banged shut again.

Kiki looked over at her friends, finding Roxanne ranting about something whilst Meat listened sympathetically. Beside them, Trixie was lighting up a cigarette, looking anything but concerned with Roxanne's dilemma.

As none of them were looking her way, nor were any of them likely to notice her absence, Kiki darted down the dark corridor, stopping by the partially open fire exit, and peeking outside.

Kiki felt her heart jump into her throat as she caught sight of who was standing outside. Although he was not standing very far from the door, he had his back to her, so she felt confident he would not see her spying on him.

But what was he doing outside on his own? As a Chojin warrior – more specifically, as a Chojin warrior involved in the ongoing tournament – he should be inside celebrating with all the others. Although one of his team-mates had suffered a loss that day, the other had achieved a remarkable victory, so he had nothing to feel bad about.

Kiki edged closer to the door, running her eyes over the length of his body. He appeared to be looking upwards at something, something that had captivated the whole of his attention. Kiki slowly raised her eyes over the top of his head, searching the sky above him for the source of his amusement.

As she was staring up at the star-filled sky, another gust of wind whipped at the door, tugging it wide open, and pulling Kiki's dress around her legs. She yelped in shock, grabbing at the folds of material as she tried to hold her dress down. She had deliberately worn a long dress after Terry's comment about the length of the skirt she had worn to Dik Dik's match that morning, and she had become obsessed with holding her dress down to cover as much of her legs as was possible.

"Oh hey there, I didn't know you was interested in astronomy too, sweetheart."

Kiki gasped, looking up to see he had turned around to face her.

"Oh, no, I'm…" she began awkwardly. "Well, that is, I was just…"

Kiki yelped again as the wind slammed the door shut against her arm, knocking her back into the hall and hiding the Chojin from her sight.

"Ow!" she muttered, grabbing her elbow to nurse her injury.

The door suddenly swung open again, and the large shadow of a Chojin warrior fell over Kiki. She looked up sharply, frozen on the spot as she met his eyes.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" he asked her.

"Fine…" she lied, as her attention was drawn away from the stinging pain in her arm.

"I was just doin' some star-gazin'," he added. "Did you wanna join me?"

Kiki glanced back down the corridor, where she was just able to see the table Roxanne, Trixie and Meat were sat at. Moving her eyes a little further across the dance-floor, she caught sight of Terry, walking towards the table with Kid Muscle and Dik Dik Van Dik. Kid was dressed in a lurid lime green satin suit, with turquoise shirt and scarlet tie, and he was carrying a bunch of yellow roses. Dik Dik, who was meant to be resting, by order of his doctor, was limping along at their side, a support bandage around his right wrist, and some paper stitches over his forehead.

"Sure," Kiki said decisively, turning back to the man at the door. "I'd love to watch the stars with you."

He nodded his head, and stood back, holding the door open for Kiki to exit. She smiled at him graciously, stepping out of the building. Behind her, he slammed the door shut, locking them out; but Kiki did not notice he had done so, as she found herself gazing up at the heavens, awestruck by the beauty of the stars that night.

"So," he said slowly as he joined Kiki at her side. "My name's Eskara."

"Oh, I know who you are," Kiki said with a smile.

"I see."

Kiki blushed, clapping a hand over her mouth.

"Oh, that didn't come out right!" she wailed, looking up at him with bewildered, wide eyes.

"That's okay, sweetheart," he assured her. "I've noticed you at all the IWF events, so I sorta already knew you would know my name. I was only telling ya cause I was sorta hopin' you would tell me your's."

"Oh!" Kiki gasped, turning away from him for a moment as her mind became so blank, she could not even think what her own name actually was to answer him. "Kiki!" she recovered, turning back to face him. "My name is Kiki."

"Kiki, okay," Eskara said, nodding his head. "And I see you're friends wid Kid Muscle's girl?"

"Roxanne? Yeah, we're best friends."

"Excellent…"

Eskara turned to look up at the stars again, leaving Kiki staring at his profile. She wanted desperately to say something, but failed to find the words. She did not want Eskara to think she was just another dithering bimbo, but she felt like one as she struggled to think of something – anything – to say to him.

"It's a beautiful night, the planets are quite high in the sky tonight," Eskara eventually said, without turning to look at her.

"Planets, yeah," Kiki said awkwardly, turning to look up at the sky for herself.

"You see dat one right there?" Eskara asked, pointing up directly in front of them.

Kiki turned to look at him, studying the angle he was pointing at. His eye level was so much higher than hers, she decided he was probably pointing at something much higher than she thought.

"The-the blue sparkly one?" she asked, turning back to look at the star he appeared to be pointing at.

"Nah, the little red one," he replied.

Kiki scanned the section of sky in front of them, but again drew a blank.

"I… no, I don't see it," she said weakly.

"Here."

Eskara side-stepped closer to her, bending his legs until his head was level with hers.

"The little red one right there," he whispered into her ear, pointing out in front of her.

Kiki looked out in the direction he was pointing, spotting a tiny red dot amidst the masses of white and yellow blobs littering the sky.

"Oh yeah!" she said, smiling brightly. "That's Mars!"

"That's right, sweetheart," Eskara whispered.

Kiki stiffened as she felt the warmth of Eskara's hand against the small of her back. It was a cool night, and the warmth of his hand, combined with the rush of adrenaline she always seemed to feel in Eskara's presence, caused her to shiver suddenly.

"Aw, are you cold?" Eskara asked her.

"N-no," she said softly.

Kiki turned to face him, her heart jumping into her throat when she found her face only inches from his.

"Here," Eskara said, standing back from her.

His hand slid from her back, causing her to shiver again, and bringing a smile to Eskara's face. He removed his large jacket, and then draped it over Kiki's shoulders, nodding his head quietly as she grasped at the material around her.

Kiki waited until Eskara had turned his attention back to the night sky before closing her eyes and sighing softly. His jacket carried with it not only the warmth of his body, but also the intoxicating smell of his cologne. Kiki slowly opened her eyes again, looking up at Eskara as he continued to stare up at the sky.

Kiki opened her mouth to talk to him, but a sudden drilling sensation against her hip stopped her short. She frowned down at her side, lifting up Eskara's jacket to look down at her hip. As the drilling sensation came again, she realised it was her cellphone inside her bag. She quickly opened up her bag and grabbed it out, answering it without even checking the caller ID.

"Hello?" she said sweetly, glancing at Eskara as she spoke.

"Kiki, where are you?" Trixie answered her.

"Um…"

Kiki looked up at Eskara, who smiled down at her.

"Anyway, get back here, you're not gonna believe what just happened!" Trixie twittered into her ear. "Kid Muscle just proposed to Roxanne, and she just dumped the punch bowl over his head! Oh, but it gets better, Kiki, the punch has like taken the colour out of Kid's horrible tuxedo! You saw his tuxedo, right? Man, he looks like one of those guys from _Dumb and Dumber_! It was hilarious, Kiki! And Dik Dik's here! He came here just to see you, Kiki! Get your ass back in here! Where are you?"

Kiki did not answer Trixie immediately, as her eyes were still fixed on Eskara. She really did not want to leave him.

"Kiki, are you still there?" Trixie asked her.

"Yeah," Kiki blurted. "Sure. Kid proposed to Roxanne. Right."

"Kiki, where the hell are you?"

"I'm on my way."

Kiki quickly hung up her phone, pausing as she clutched onto it, looking up at Eskara.

"That was Trixie," she explained. "She said she wants me to go back inside."

Eskara remained silent, and so Kiki approached the door she had come out of. When she found it was locked, she turned back to Eskara.

"Right, well, I guess I'll have to go round to the front entrance," she said, slipping her phone back into her bag.

"Do you always do what Trixie tells ya to do?' Eskara asked her darkly.

Kiki paused, sensing something more sinister in his tone of voice.

"Well…" she began, clearing her throat awkwardly. "Trixie is sort of…"

"The bossy blonde bitch I see you hangin' around wid all da time?" Eskara finished for her.

Kiki shook her head rapidly.

"No, you've got Trixie all wrong, she's not bossy, she's just…"

Kiki trailed off as she tried to think of a counter argument to Eskara's accusation; but she was finding it even more difficult than she had imagined it would be. Eskara had a very valid point: Trixie was bossy, and Kiki did always do whatever Trixie told her to do. Just like how she had stood by and let Trixie help herself to punch, and then serve it up to Roxanne.

"Never mind," Eskara assured her. "It's getting' cold out here, I think I'll be headin' back inside too. I'll walk you round."

Kiki nodded her agreement, starting back towards the front entrance. As Eskara fell in line beside her, she suddenly remembered she still had his jacket.

"Oh, here, you should take this back," she began, lifting the jacket from her shoulders.

"Dat's alright, you keep it on for now," he said dismissively. "I'll get it back off ya when we get inside."

"Oh. Thank you."

Kiki pulled the jacket around her shoulders again, walking on in silence. She wanted to look at Eskara again, but she did not want him to think she was just a hopeless fangirl who could do nothing more than stare at every Chojin she saw with hungry eyes.

As they walked, Kiki thought again about Trixie's remark about Eskara's eyes looking unreal, as though he was wearing some sort of mask. It seemed to be that most of the wrestlers in the IWF wore some sort of mask, so it hardly seemed surprising that Eskara would wear one too; but it did make Kiki curious to know what he looked like underneath his mask.

Kiki began to muster the courage to approach the subject with Eskara, but before she could plan out what to say, both she and Eskara were forced to stop short, as Kid Muscle landed across their path by the front entrance to the dancehall.

"But Roxanne, I only meant I wanted you to cook me some cow and rice!" Kid wailed, rubbing at his head as he pushed himself back up to his feet.

"You asked me if you would be getting lucky tonight!" Roxanne shrieked, jabbing a finger at Kid.

"Ah, Roxanne, give Kid a break," Terry tried. "I'm sure he didn't mean to offend you, right Kid?"

Kid screamed, pointing at Eskara as he sighted him next to Kiki. Eskara sighed quietly, crossing his arms over his chest. Kid stumbled back from him for a few steps, before tripping over a rock and falling back down to the ground.

"Kid, you're pathetic!" Roxanne barked, marching up to him.

She hooked an arm under his and yanked him to his feet, running her eyes over the purple splash marks on his green suit.

"Get a grip!" she shouted at him.

"Roxanne, why do you have to be so mean to me?" Kid wailed.

"Because that's what you need, Kid Muscle!" she snapped. "You need someone to give you a good kick up the ass every now and then!"

"Are you going to be that someone, Roxanne?" Kid asked, blinking at her sweetly.

"I guess so," Roxanne sighed. "Now come on, let's just – hey wait a minute! Kiki, what the hell are you doing hanging out with that guy?"

The others all turned to Kiki, who blinked back at them innocently.

"You again…" Dik Dik growled, marching over to Eskara. "Stay away from her, you foul-mannered cretin!"

Dik Dik tore Eskara's jacket from Kiki shoulders, throwing it at Eskara's face.

"I'm going to destroy you in the ring, Eskara!" he warned, brandishing his antler fist at Eskara.

Eskara pulled the jacket from his face, smiling down at Dik Dik.

"You say dat as though you don't think your friend Kenyon could actually beat me in a match," Eskara said sarcastically. "Which, of course, he couldn't, but as his friend, you oughta believe dat he could."

"Stay away from me, Eskara," Dik Dik growled, raising the points of his deadly fist towards Eskara's chin. "And stay away from my woman!"

Dik Dik grabbed Kiki's arm and dragged her away from Eskara. She squealed in pain as he inadvertently grabbed onto the same arm she had bashed on the door only moments ago; but Dik Dik was too preoccupied with his staring contest against Eskara to notice her sufferings.

"I'll see you in the ring, Eskara," Dik Dik confidently announced.

"Sure," Eskara agreed, pulling on his jacket.

He then walked back inside the dancehall, leaving the others standing outside in silence, all looking around each other.

"Ow, Dik Dik, you're hurting me!" Kiki cried, grabbing at his hand.

"What?" he snapped, turning to face her, yanking at her arm as he did so.

"Ow!" she screamed, tears forming in her eyes. "Let go of me!"

"Hey, whoa, Dik Dik, careful there!" Terry said, jogging over towards them.

Dik Dik growled at Terry, his ears flattening against his head. Terry stopped abruptly, a few steps back from Dik Dik, his face white with shock.

"Our jobs and our futures on Earth are at stake here!" Dik Dik reminded them all. "And so far, it seems like I'm the only one taking this issue seriously! Sometimes, you all make me so mad!"

Dik Dik released his hold of Kiki, who sighed in relief, watching him march off, away from the dancehall.

"I reckon he was just feelin' the effects of them drugs they had him on at the KO Hospital, Kiki," Terry whispered to Kiki. "Don't you go worryin' yourself none, I'm sure he'll be good as new day after tomorrow!"

"He'd better be," Meat grumbled. "I'm beginning to think I should reinstate my ban on social activities. You guys are meant to be here to save the Earth, not flirt with all the pretty Earth girls!"

"Maybe Kiki needs to give Dik Dik a bit of space," Kid suggested. "I know she's really in love with him and all, but he's been acting really weird ever since he beat Jaeger."

"Maybe he's been acting weird because he actually won a match," Trixie suggested sarcastically. "I mean come on, the guy is such a loser!"

"Hush, Trixie, don't be insultin' a man in front of his girlfriend like that!" Terry warned her.

"I'm not Dik Dik's girlfriend!" Kiki yelled.

The others all turned to stare at her, every one shocked by her sudden outburst. She gulped, faltering as she tried to regain her composure.

"I think I'm gonna get an early night," she said softly. "I'll catch you guys later."

Kiki walked off down the carpark, shutting out the voices of those she left behind. She needed to be alone to think right then.

* * *

 **Next chapter:** Kid Muscle takes on Road Rage, but Kiki can't seem to keep her eyes on the ring, and soon ends up in the most unlikely of places!


	6. Read the Signs!

**A/N: ** Thanks to my reviewers for your continuing support. I know this story isn't going the way you predicted it would, but if it was predictable, it would be just plan boring now, wouldn't it?!

 **Disclaimer:** Ultimate Muscle and all characters herein belong to some other dude. Damn…

 **Recap:** Kiki joined Eskara in admiring _MARS_ ::coughs:: cheesy! ::coughs:: Roxanne had a lover's tiff with Kid, and Dik Dik wants Eskara's blood…

* * *

 **Chapter Five – Read the Signs!**

Kiki smiled to herself as she saw Roxanne and Trixie wave at her from their position at the banks of the river. Kid Muscle was fighting Road Rage on the Achilles' Heel, and the turnout for the match was even smaller than the crowd that had gathered to watch Wally take on Hydrozoa.

But at least this time, Kiki's friends had not stood her up.

"Hey, you guys!" she greeted them cheerfully. "I got us burgers and cokes again!"

"You're the tops, Kiki!" Roxanne replied, giving her a thumbs up as she helped herself to a burger and soda from Kiki's tray.

"So Kiki, what was up with you and Eskara last night?" Trixie said, taking a burger and soda from the tray.

Kiki made to answer her, when Terry interrupted her, grabbing up the final burger and coke from her tray.

"Gosh darn, you really are a givin' sorta gal, Kiki!" he said, tearing the cover from her burger and biting off half of it. "It's no wonder ol' Dik Dik loves ya so much!"

Kiki pouted at Terry as he walked over to Trixie's side, sitting down close to her, much to her delight.

"Come on, Kiki, I'll buy you another burger and coke," Roxanne offered, standing up and brushing the grass from her skirt.

"That's okay, Roxanne, I'm not really hungry," Kiki replied, smiling sweetly.

Roxanne smiled back, sitting down again a short distance from Trixie. Kiki sat next down next to her, suppressing a smile as she asked her next question.

"How's Kid?" she asked Roxanne. "Is he ready for his match?"

Roxanne rolled her eyes, but smiled nevertheless.

"Well, he's here, which is always something…" she groaned. "I suppose you heard that Dik Dik couldn't make it today?"

"Oh?" Kiki responded, turning her attention to the ring. "Why would it affect me if Dik Dik doesn't come here today?"

"Well, he does have a crush on you, Kiki!"

Kiki turned sharply back to Roxanne, glaring at her indignantly.

"But apparently you've got a crush on Eskara…" Roxanne muttered, before turning to face the ring.

"I don't have a crush on anyone!" Kiki defended herself. "And no-one has a crush on me! Especially not Dik Dik Van Dik!"

"I beg to differ, Kiki!" Roxanne replied, arching an eyebrow at her friend. "Dik Dik is like totally besotted with you. But on a side note, what were you doing with Eskara last night?"

"Nothing!" Kiki protested, turning her head away from Roxanne as she felt her cheeks begin to burn. "It was nothing."

"You were wearing his jacket, and walking around outside with him, Kiki!" Roxanne pointed out. "That's not nothing!"

"It is," Kiki lied. "I just… I got lost trying to find the toilets, and I ended up going out a fire exit, and I bumped into Eskara. The door shut behind me, and I got locked out, so he offered me his jacket because it was so cold, and walked me back round to the front door. That's all."

"Okay…"

Kiki sighed silently in relief, waiting for her embarrassment to subside before turning back to face the wrestling ring, elevated high above them on the Achilles' Heel platform. She sensed Roxanne was watching her, and was not finished with the issue of what she had been doing with Eskara the night before; and she was not wrong.

"I'm surprised at you, Kiki, I never thought a great big tough guy like Eskara would have been your type," Roxanne giggled.

Kiki groaned inwardly as she tried to think of a counter to Roxanne's challenge; but she was saved from the need as she spotted Kid Muscle and Meat approaching the ring.

"Oh my God, what is Kid doing?" she gasped.

"Huh?" Roxanne echoed, turning her head to look up at Kid and Meat.

"Oh my God!" Trixie squealed. "What does Kid Muscle think he's doing?"

"Sheesh, what is that darn awful smell?" Terry asked, pinching his nose with one hand and wafting at the air around him with the other.

"I'm just hazarding a guess here, but I'd say it's the 30 pound fish Kid has strapped to his back!" Trixie dryly replied.

"Oh, Kid!" Roxanne groaned, clamping a hand over her nose.

"What was he thinkin', carryin' that rotten fish down to the ring with him?" Terry asked.

"Wally's little sister gave it to him," Roxanne explained to Terry and Kiki. "I guess he thought he was showing his support for Wally by taking it with him."

"What a loser!" Trixie muttered.

Trixie and Terry began to laugh, but Roxanne could only hang her head in shame as the crowd began to throw litter at Kid, jeering at him for carrying a rotten fish carcass to the ring.

"I think it's sweet," Kiki whispered, patting Roxanne's shoulder.

Roxanne smiled tightly at Kiki, nodding her head to say she appreciated her support.

"Well, at least it can't get any more embarrassing," Roxanne said.

"Um…" Kiki began, her face crumpling as she watched Kid over Roxanne's shoulder.

"It just got more embarrassing, didn't it?" Roxanne asked.

"Hell yeah!" Trixie replied, before bursting into another fit of laughter, grabbing onto Terry for support as she rocked back and forth with the force of her hysterics.

Roxanne turned in time to see Kid stumble towards the edge of the walkway, teetering precariously there as he tried to pull the giant fish off his head. Meat quickly leapt forwards and pulled Kid back out of harm's way; but the fish remained stuck fast on his head.

"Oh, man…" Roxanne groaned, burying her face into her hands.

Trixie and Terry continued to laugh loud and hard at Kid's misfortune, and even Kiki found herself having to bite her lip to stop herself from giggling at Kid as he stumbled around with a giant fish lodged on his head.

"What a goomba!"

Kiki froze at the sound of Eskara's voice behind her. She heard him sit down behind her and Roxanne, causing Terry to finally cease his laughter.

"Hey, what are you doin' here, Eskara?" Terry asked him.

"Same as you, cowboy," Eskara flatly replied. "I'm watchin' Kid Muscle make a complete ass of himself in the ring."

"Hey, back off!" Roxanne snapped, turning to look over her shoulder at Eskara. "No-one's seen you fight yet, for all we know, you could be the biggest ass here!"

"So den you admit Kid Muscle is an ass?" Eskara asked her, his amusement evident in his tone of voice.

"Shut-up, you freak!" Roxanne retorted, before turning back and biting into her burger.

"Don't you go worryin' yourself none, Roxanne," Terry called over to Roxanne. "I'm gonna teach that big jerk some manners tomorrow!"

"You'd better!" Roxanne growled, looking up as Kid finally managed to free himself from the fish.

The match between Kid Muscle and Road Rage began, bringing silence to the group of Kid's friends watching him fight. Roxanne was devouring her burger with vicious chews, Terry and Trixie were whispering about something no-one else could hear, and Kiki was silently wondering what Eskara was doing behind her.

Kiki tried to keep her eyes facing forwards, tried to concentrate on Kid's match; but her attention kept wandering back to Eskara. As Kid was thrown against the ropes of the ring, Road Rage began to give a speech about how Kid would be forced to obey whatever signal Road Rage displayed on his face.

"That should be illegal!" Roxanne complained through a mouthful of burger. "Don't you agree?" she asked, turning to Kiki. "That must be illegal. Terry, tell them it's illegal!"

"Well now, I don't rightly know if that's illegal as such, Roxanne," Terry said timidly, scratching at the back of his head awkwardly as he answered her.

"It has to be illegal!" Roxanne declared, standing up. "Hey Road Rage, quit cheating, you robotic loser!"

"Ah, shut-up, ya darn screechin' harpie!" Eskara said.

"What did you just call me?" Roxanne fumed, turning to face Eskara.

"I called you a darn screechin' harpie, now sit your ass down, you're blockin' my view of the match," Eskara calmly replied.

Roxanne scrunched her fist shut around the remains of her burger and its paper wrapper, and then hurled it at Eskara's face with all her strength. Kiki and Trixie gasped as the projectile bounced off Eskara's nose, pushing up the brim of his hat slightly and exposing more of his face.

"Roxanne, be careful!" Trixie warned, standing up at Terry's side.

"Stay back, Trixie," Terry said, jumping up in front of her. "Now listen here, Eskara, your sort sure ain't welcome around here, I suggest you'd better hit the road now."

"Hey, I got as much right to be here as any of yous," Eskara calmly replied.

"No you don't!" Roxanne screamed, starting towards him.

Terry and Kiki leapt forwards, throwing themselves between Roxanne and Eskara as Eskara stood up. Terry stopped directly in front of Roxanne, his arms held out at his sides, blocking her advance, and shielding her from Eskara. Kiki found herself wedged between Terry and Eskara, facing Eskara. Looking directly ahead of herself, the bottom of her chin was level with the top of Eskara's belt.

Breathing in slowly as she did so, Kiki raised her head until her eyes landed on Eskara's face, the features of which were shaded from her view as the sun was somewhere behind his head. But, even though his face was not clear to her, Kiki could see he had lost his hat.

"Get him away from me!" Roxanne screeched, reaching around and over Terry's shoulder with both arms as she tried to poke at Eskara.

"Kiki, why don't you take Eskara away from Roxanne," Trixie suggested. "Since he seems to be your friend…"

Kiki blushed profusely, turning to look at Trixie. Trixie merely smirked back at her, apparently relishing in the anguish she was causing poor Kiki.

"Never mind," Eskara growled. "I can't stand to sit here listenin' to you pathetic losers anyways…"

Eskara turned on his heel and walked off, leaving the others watching him in confused silence.

"Gee, that was a lot easier'n I thought it was gonna be…" Terry muttered, scratching his head.

"We're missing the match, you guys," Trixie pointed out, pointing up at the ring as she spoke.

"Kid!" Roxanne gasped.

The others turned back to watch as Road Rage spun his triangular head like a saw, and began to assault Kid Muscle. Roxanne began to complain about the rules again, and as Terry tried to calm her down, Trixie edged closer to his side, eying him over coyly.

Kiki watched Eskara slowly leave until he was out of sight, having headed into the nearby refreshment and toilet booth. As she turned, disappointed, to the ring, she caught sight of something on the ground not far from her feet.

"His hat…" she said, bending down to retrieve the giant hat Eskara normally always wore. "Hey, you guys, Eskara left his…"

Kiki trailed off as she realised no-one could hear her over Roxanne's shouting, and no-one even seemed to notice she was even still with the group.

A smile tugged at Kiki's lips as an idea formulated in her mind. Gripping onto the hat, she ran after Eskara, without so much as one backward glance at her friends.

As Kiki entered the dull, cool shade of the booth, she slowed down, looking around herself for any sign of Eskara. He was so big, he should stand out in a crowd; but there were so few people in the booth, he did not even need the advantage of height to stand out.

"Eskara!" Kiki called out, as she spotted him heading down a corridor off the main floor.

She paused, waiting for him to turn back. When he continued on his way, she hurried after him, catching up with him as he placed one hand on a door leading off the corridor.

"Eskara, you forgot your–ah!"

Kiki yelped as Eskara grabbed her arm and dragged her through the doorway, swinging her around once they were inside the small room, then pressing her up against the wall. Kiki felt her breath catch in her throat as he closed in on her, narrowing the marginal gap between their bodies. She instinctively pressed her back hard against the wall, drawing in her stomach in an attempt to put at least some distance between them.

"Did you come here to cheer for Kid Muscle, Kiki?" he asked her.

Kiki exhaled sharply, feeling light-headed as she found that she had been holding her breath for longer than was comfortable. She glanced over Eskara's shoulder, her eyes doubling in size at what she saw. Looking around herself, Kiki found herself in a place she had never been before in her life, and had never expected to go.

"Did you take me into the boy's toilets?" she squeaked, meeting Eskara's white eyes.

"Maybe," he causally answered, shrugging his shoulders.

"But… Why?"

"I just thought maybe we could talk."

"T-talk?"

"Sure. How long have you known Kid Muscle?"

"Well…"

Kiki knew she was visibly trembling, and she knew that it was mostly from fear; but something made her want to trust Eskara.

"I've know Kid since he first came to Earth," she confessed.

"I see," Eskara said slowly, nodding his head. "And you've been to all his matches since he got here?"

"Yeah. With Roxanne and Trixie."

"Of course. So you saw Kid fight da DMP?"

"Yeah. He fought Dial Bolic, The Pumpinator and Checkmate."

"You see anything else?"

"Um… I saw Terry fight Tyrannoclaw."

"Okay…"

Eskara lowered his head, looking down at the ground for a moment, before slowly lifting his head to face Kiki once more.

"How's your arm?" he asked, pointing at the arm she had bashed on the fire exit door the night before.

"It's fine," she lied, touching a hand to her elbow.

"Are you sure?" Eskara pressed, reaching a hand towards her arm.

"It's fine," Kiki quickly said. "Here's your hat!"

Kiki quickly lifted up Eskara's hat, holding it by her face with both hands, half hiding herself behind it.

"Thanks," Eskara said, taking the hat from her hands and pulling it back onto his bald head. "That was very thoughtful of you to take my hat to me."

"Oh, it was nothing!"

Kiki smiled, waving a hand dismissively in the air; but when Eskara remained silent, and stared blankly at her, she began to suspect he had meant something else.

"I know the real reason you came after me, Kiki," he whispered, leaning closer to her.

"What?' Kiki yelped, pressing herself hard against the wall again.

"You know, dere are much easier ways to ask a guy out on a date…"

"I… Ah…"

Kiki fell silent as Eskara lightly dragged the fingertips of one hand down her cheek. Her breathing came in rapid, shallow breaths as he slowly trailed his fingers lower, all the time keeping his eyes fixed on hers.

As his fingers moved down her neck, he pressed slightly harder, causing her to let out a cry of shock. Although Kiki felt trapped and powerless where she was, she could almost feel herself willing Eskara to move his hand lower; and to do it much faster than he was. The rush of butterflies she had felt before was now turning into a deep, throbbing, burning sensation.

But still Eskara moved slowly, his fingers tripping over the neckline of her sweater, before pressing against her shoulder. Kiki moved her eyes from Eskara's at last, whimpering softly as she watched his hand approach her breast.

"Do me a favour, yeah?" Eskara whispered.

Kiki looked up sharply, searching his eyes desperately as his hand hovered over her left breast. He shuffled even closer to her, moving his face around to her neck.

"Wear somethin' a bit sexier to my match tomorrow," he whispered into her ear.

Eskara then stepped back from Kiki, lifting his hand from her, and tugged at the brim of his hat, nodding his head at her, before walking out of the toilets. Kiki, in her tender state of torn nerves, yelped as the door banged shut behind him, sliding to the ground, heaving in the air around her as she suddenly became light-headed.

Surely it was not natural to feel that way about any man, least of all a man who was trying to ruin the careers and lives of her friends?

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Terry takes on Eskara, but who will Kiki be cheering for? And what's up with Terry's legs?

 **A/N:** To the anonymous reviewer, thank you for your kind words, it's nice to know this story is even remembered. This fic has a special place in my heart because it was the first fanfic I shared here, and The Reason was the first long fic I tackled. I got a lot of enjoyment out of writing my UM fics, and I still ship Kiki and Mars to hard...


	7. Whose Side are you on?

**A/N: ** I don't know what time of year the Generation X saga took place, I'm just guessing summer, since the location of the Hydrozoa/Kid Muscle match-up reminds me of summer.

 **Disclaimer:** I never have owned Ultimate Muscle, and I never will. Wah!

 **Recap:** Kid Muscle took on Road Rage, and Eskara requested something dubious from Kiki…

* * *

 **Chapter Six – Whose Side are you on?**

Dik Dik smiled to himself as he watched Kid Muscle and Roxanne in the centre of the dance-floor, their bodies locked together, slowly swaying in time to the soft, romantic music drifting through the hall. Kid was still over-joyed that he had defeated Road Rage, and Roxanne was still proud of him for his awesome victory. A short distance from the young love-struck couple Trixie was dragging Terry onto the dance-floor, despite his proclamations that he was a terrible dancer.

"Hey, Dik Dik," Meat said, appearing beside Dik Dik with a paper plate in one hand, and a chicken leg in the other.

"Meat," Dik Dik greeted him.

"Hey, shouldn't a handsome guy like you be up there dancing with a pretty young girl?" Meat asked, smiling up at Dik Dik.

"There is only one pretty young girl I would want to dance with, Meat," Dik Dik replied, smiling to himself.

"Ah, you're talkin' about Roxanne's little friend, right?" Meat asked, before taking a bite out of the chicken leg.

"Perhaps I am," Dik Dik sighed, trying to sound poetic.

"I heard she went to the 24 hour mall," Meat spat, through a mouthful of greasy chicken. "Roxanne said something about how Kiki needed to get a new dress for tomorrow, and it was so important, she put off coming here tonight."

"A dress for tomorrow?" Dik Dik muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose because tomorrow is the last first round match-up, and the celebration afterwards will be a much bigger affair, as it marks the start of the semi-final round."

"Aw, no, it's not for the buffet," Meat said, between sucking the grease from each of his fingers. "It's a dress to wear to tomorrow's match. Trixie said Kiki's got a crush on someone that's fighting tomorrow. I guess that means she likes Terry. Gee, tough luck, Dik Dik."

"Or not…" Dik Dik growled, clenching his fists at his sides.

* * *

"Kiki?" Trixie gasped, her eyes widening in shock.

"Oh my God, Kiki!" Roxanne blurted. "Look at you!"

"Hey you guys, I got us all some refreshments!" Kiki brightly replied, holding her tray up higher. "And this time, Terry can't steal them off us, because he has to fight!"

"Wow Kiki, you really are totally in love with Eskara, huh?' Trixie bluntly asked as she helped herself to a burger and a soda.

"What?" Kiki asked innocently.

"Oh come on, Kiki!" Roxanne sighed, rolling her eyes. "Look at you! New dress, you're hair all pretty… Kiki, are you wearing make-up? You never wear make-up!"

"I just wanted to get something nice for the big celebration tonight," Kiki lied, sitting down into her front row seat and removing her own snacks.

"Well, whatever your reasons for dressing up are, you sure look good, Kiki!" Roxanne assured her, taking her drink from her.

"Thanks, Roxanne," Kiki said sweetly, sliding the tray under her chair, and then taking her drink back from Roxanne.

"You look like a bit of a ho to me…" Trixie muttered.

"Hey!" Roxanne snapped, slapping Trixie's arm. "Just ignore her, Kiki!"

Kiki nodded her head; but as Roxanne turned away, she scowled over the back of Roxanne's chair at Trixie. Trixie was too distracted to notice, so Kiki turned her attention back to the ring.

Doc Nakano and Mac Metaphor were still making their way to the announcers' table, so Kiki knew they would have to wait more than a few minutes for the match to start. Kiki used the time to admire her dress. It was a dress she had always adored before, but never had the courage to actually buy, feeling certain she would never wear it. And of course, Trixie's blunt remarks about how Kiki could never wear such a dress on account of her wide hips had completely put her off buying it.

The dress was made of thin, bold green cotton, and looked almost like a fairy dress. At the front and back, it came to her knees, the hemline curving upwards at her sides to make the front and back sit in a V-shape. The back of the dress was very low, and the straps over her shoulders were thin and dainty, Kiki was silently glad it was summer, and the weather was warm enough for her to wear the dress without getting too cold.

"Roxanne!"

"Oh no!" Trixie groaned, slapping a hand against her forehead. "Here comes Kid…"

Roxanne and Kiki turned in their seats to watch as Kid shoved his way through the audience, heading directly towards Roxanne. Meat was following him, but at a considerable distance, walking down to their seats with Broken Junior. The two were apparently deep in conversation about something, but the attention of those around them was mainly on the two men silently following them.

"What are Jaeger and Hydrozoa doing here?" Trixie asked no-one in particular.

"Well Kid's here," Roxanne replied. "And Wally was meant to be coming, but his mother made him stay at home, since he only got out of the hospital this morning."

"I guess they would want to see this match, but why did Jaeger come here? He's already lost his match. Road Rage isn't here."

"I guess he just came to support Eskara. After all, if his team-mates lose their matches, it will affect his fate here on Earth, right?"

"I guess so. Speaking of wrestlers, shouldn't Dik Dik be here? I mean, he will be fighting the winner of this match, and this is the first time anyone has seen Eskara fight. Shouldn't he be here to plan a strategy for his semi-final match?"

"You're right, Trixie! That's odd, Dik Dik normally never misses a match. Unless he's in hospital, or something. But he should be here now. I'll ask Kid about it when he gets here."

Trixie and Roxanne continued to watch Kid, waiting to quiz him on Dik Dik's absence; but Kiki was distracted as she spotted the official stepping into the ring to announce the upcoming match. She rose from her seat, watching at the arena entrance as the ring announcer foretold Eskara's appearance.

The audience gave Eskara a fairly neutral, quiet reception; this match-up was only a big hit because Terry Kenyon was such a firm fan favourite. Kiki began to grow nervous as Eskara stepped up into the ring: would he notice her new outfit? Would he like it?

Eskara walked around the ring slowly, watching the audience from the corner of one eye as though subtly searching for something. As he passed the section adjacent to Kiki's he paused, his head rising up slightly, and turning more fully towards the audience. Kiki quickly looked out across the crowds of faces, but could not see anything that would catch his attention.

When Eskara remained frozen on the spot, Kiki stepped up to the steel railing, stretching into the tips of her toes to scan over the audience. She spotted one person, quite far back in the upper stands, much taller than the others, who was standing perfectly still, staring back at Eskara.

It was Kevin Mask.

Kiki began to contemplate how Eskara could possible know Kevin, when he moved on again, making his way towards her section. Kiki quickly turned her eyes to Eskara, trying to suppress a girly grin of delight as he neared the area where she sat. As he caught sight of her, he grabbed onto the rope with one hand, leaning closer to the edge of the ring. He smiled darkly, then tugged at the brim of his hat, nodding his head in approval.

Kiki giggled and waved back at him, drawing Trixie's attention.

"Kiki, don't wave at Eskara, he's the enemy, remember?" she snapped.

"But he's a muscle leaguer, he's not a bad guy!" Kiki protested.

"But he's about to fight Terry, so he is a bad guy," Trixie sternly replied.

Kiki nodded silently, slinking back from the railings. Just then, the ring announcer informed them Terry Kenyon was on his way to the ring, causing the audience to explode in unanimous, rapturous applause for the hometown hero (after all, few Chojin warriors were actually from Earth!)

"Oh look, he's carrying the Irish flag in honour of Wally!" Trixie cried, clasping her hands at her chest. "You're so cool, Terry, I love you!" she bellowed at the Texan as he entered the ring.

Terry unhooked the giant Irish flag from his arm, and tied it to the ringpost. As he was tying the flag down, the bell rang for the start of the match, and Eskara wasted no time in charging at Terry.

"Terry, behind you!" Trixie yelled, along with most of the rest of the audience.

Terry spun around, effortlessly avoiding Eskara's attack, and landing a roundhouse kick across Eskara's chest in the process.

Kiki yelped involuntarily as she saw Eskara being knocked back by the force of the blow, causing Trixie to growl at her in frustration.

"Say, Kid, where's Dik Dik Van Dik?" Trixie sneered, watching Kiki as she spoke.

"I dunno," Kid answered, shrugging his shoulders. "He said he had some important business to take care of, or something."

Kid began to idly pick his nose, causing Roxanne to groan, and slap a hand against her face.

"Important business?" Trixie pressed, folding her arms. "Like what? What could be more important than supporting his friend, and finding out who his next opponent will be?"

Kid shrugged his shoulders again, looking down at his fingers as he rolled something gooey between them.

"Tissue?" Roxanne asked, through tightly clenched teeth, as she handed Kid a tissue.

"Huh?" he asked, turning to face her as he wiped his hand on his thigh.

Roxanne sighed, hanging her head in despair.

"Terry, what are ya doing?" Meat yelled suddenly, banging his fists on the steel railing. "You don't turn your back on a guy like Eskara!"

The others turned towards the ring, all curious to learn what had Meat so riled up all of a sudden. Inside the ring, Terry was down on one knee, tugging at the boot on his right foot, completely oblivious to his opponent, who was slowly walking towards his back.

"Terry, look out behind you!" Trixie screamed urgently. "Quickly, Terry!"

But Terry either did not hear Meat and Trixie's warnings, or chose not to respond to them, as he continued obsessively pushing and pulling at his boot. He looked severely angered with the boot, and the distraction it was causing him looked likely to cost him dearly as Eskara grabbed the hair at the top of his head and yanked him to his feet.

Terry cried out in pain, lifting his hands at last to swipe at Eskara's. Eskara merely laughed at him, lifting him completely off the mat, and punching him in the gut with his other hand. As Terry groaned in pain from the impact, Eskara coldly released him, allowing him to fall hard to the mat below.

Eskara walked over to the corner of the ring nearest Terry's friends, smiling down at them as he began to untie one of the ring ropes. Kiki smiled back at him, unable to hide her preference in the match.

"What's Eskes – Eskas – Eskel… What's that guy doing?" Kid asked Meat.

"Eskara," Meat replied impatiently. "It's pronounced Eskara. Sheesh, is that really so hard for you to get your head around? And it looks like he's takin' the whole ring apart!"

"That's not fair!" Kid protested.

"You're only saying that because you're scared you'll have to fight that guy at some point!" Trixie snapped.

"Yeah, so?" Kid asked meekly, tapping his index fingers together.

"You're such a useless coward!" Trixie roared. "Terry, get up and kick Eskara's ass!" she screamed, waving a fist at the ring.

Trixie walked up to the steel railing, grasping onto it with both hands, her bright blue eyes ablaze with anger.

"Hey Trixie, don't get mad at Kid!" Roxanne said, touching a hand to Trixie's shoulder.

"Terry!" Trixie yelled, ignoring Roxanne.

"Oh my…" Kiki muttered, her eyes widening as she watched Eskara begin to tie Terry up with the ring-rope.

"Now I know that's not fair!" Kid said. "That's just cheating!"

"Yeah!" Roxanne agreed. "Eskara's nothing but a cheater!"

"Nein, Eskara doesn't care for ze rules," Jaeger said with a smile. "He slept right through ze class on ze rules."

"Why does that sound so familiar…?" Meat muttered, eying Kid.

"What?" Kid asked innocently. "Those classes were so boring, and I couldn't last that long without food. So I just used the time to sleep!"

"You idiot!" Trixie cursed him. "Listen, Jaeger, since Eskara's your friend, why don't you tell him he can't do what he's doing?"

"No need, Trixie, look!" Roxanne said, pointing towards the ring.

Vance McMadd, along with an IWF official, were heading towards the ring as Eskara tugged the rope tighter around Terry. As they approached the ring, Terry shouted out to them.

"Let me be!" he called to them. "I can still beat this jackass, even if he is nuthin' but a no-good cheater! I'll get outta this myself, and teach this varmint a lesson he won't soon forget!"

Vance McMadd and his aide halted by the ring, unsure of what to do next. But, true to his word, Terry managed to spin out of the ropes and dropkick Eskara, before crashing to the mat himself. Although Eskara was knocked back against the ropes, Terry seemed to be worst off from the attack, as he screwed up his face and clenched his fists against the mat.

"Terry!" Trixie wailed.

"Hey, what's wrong with Terry?" Roxanne asked, approaching the steel railing.

Roxanne stopped by Trixie's side, her hands rested on the railing, frowning up at the ring. Again, Eskara was able to sneak up on Terry and grab him up by his hair. Eskara hoisted Terry up, performing a reverse suplex on him, then catching him in an excruciating headlock. Terry, despite his obvious pain from an unknown source, managed to reverse the move into a scissor leg lock.

Enraged, Eskara began to punch at Terry, his frustration growing as Terry deflected every blow.

"Eskara, you must use your punches strategically, like ve learned at ze Hercules Factory!" Jaeger shouted to Eskara. "You can't beat him vith a barrage attack like zhat!"

"Ah, shut-up, Jaeger!" Eskara shouted back impatiently.

"I vas just trying to help you, Eskara!" Jaeger explained.

"Well take your help, and shove it up your ass!" Eskara growled, drawing back his right fist.

Eskara swung his fist hard at Terry, but Terry caught it, and quickly shifted his body around to put Eskara into an armlock, holding onto Eskara's arm with his entire body. The crowd began to cheer for Terry, but Eskara seemed unaffected by Terry's assault; in fact, he almost looked pleased with the shift of events.

Standing up, with Terry attached to his arm, Eskara slowly raised Terry into the air, before slamming Terry's back down against his knee. Terry cried out in pain, but held on tenaciously.

"Go, Terry!" Trixie and Roxanne cheered.

Eskara began to look frustrated, and marched over to the corner of the ring, slamming Terry's back into the steel post. As an instinctive reaction to the pain, Terry arched his back, his arms and legs opening to free Eskara's arm.

"It's over, Eskara, finish him!" Jaeger yelled to Eskara.

"Finish him?" Eskara yelled back. "I'm just gettin' started!"

"Yay, Eskara!" Kiki squealed, grinning up at him.

The others turned to glower at her, but she was so lost in watching her hero, she did not even notice their ire.

Meanwhile, inside the ring Eskara was preparing to attack Terry again. He lifted off his hat and flung it out of the ring, and removed his jacket, tossing it out after his hat. Eskara then grabbed hold of Terry, setting him up for a piledriver. As Eskara dropped down, Terry swung out his arms, landing on his hands and blocking the attack.

"Huh?" Eskara muttered in confusion.

Terry quickly kicked back at Eskara, knocking him down. Terry grabbed Eskara's leg and began to use his famous Tornado Twist move, drawing another enraptured ovation from the sold out arena. Terry appeared to be in some sort of pain as he applied the move, but forced himself on regardless, tugging harder at Eskara's leg, and smiling to himself briefly as he heard a cracking sound, and felt Eskara's leg change shape in his arms.

"Give it up, ya no-good cheater!" Terry laughed.

When Eskara remained silent, Terry tugged harder, alarmed to hear a series of cracks and crunches. Terry was suddenly propelled forwards, yelping in shock as he found himself several feet from Eskara's body, with the lower part of Eskara's leg still in his hands.

"What the name of…?" he cried, turning back to Eskara.

"Don't look so frightened, Kenyon," Eskara sighed, shaking his leg Terry had been clinging to moments ago. "Dat leg was a fake."

Terry gasped, along with the ten thousand spectators as Eskara rose to his feet, standing on one leg like the one Terry had in his hands, and the other in a large red boot, adorned with a set of white talons.

"I knew a monster like you couldn't be a real person!" Terry declared, throwing down the remains of the fake leg he held. "You're an android, ain't ya?"

"Let's just say that it ain't only my leg that's a fake…" Eskara slyly replied, grabbing his black shirt with both hands and ripping it open.

The crowd gasped again as Eskara threw his shirt out of the ring, revealing that his upper torso was a patchwork of skin and metal plates.

"Oh no, it can't be!"

The gang turned to find Kevin Mask had come down from the upper balcony to join them. Although he wore a mask, Kevin's body language and tone of voice spoke volumes to the others: he was clearly shocked and horrified.

"You no good robot!" Terry cursed, punching Eskara square in the face.

Trixie screamed as Eskara's face slid around to the side of his head. Terry stumbled back from him, his face twisting in confusion and disgust.

"You see, Kenyon, this was all just a disguise," Eskara said, the front of his face moving beneath the twisted skin as he spoke.

"A disguise?" Kiki whispered, her face turning whiter by the second.

She did not know what to think; she had come to the match thinking Eskara was an ugly man she found oddly and inexplicably attractive, only to have her opinion changed to believe he was some sort of robot when he revealed his metallic body parts; but now she had no idea what to think about Eskara.

Eskara grabbed one hand over his head, and the other over his midsection, tearing outwards with both hands at once.

"Oh dear," Kevin gasped, as Eskara's true form was revealed. "It's all over for Terry Kenyon."

"What?" Kid screamed, his eyes watering in fear at Kevin's words.

Kiki's jaw dropped slowly as she looked up at Eskara's new appearance. Her mind was blank, and she was not even sure if she was still breathing. Eskara had transformed from a bald, bulky, unattractive man, into a tall, lean figure in a red outfit, his face now that of a much younger, and very attractive, man.

"Eskara, I don't understand!" Jaeger called out to his team-mate. "Why did you disguise yourself?"

"It's a long story, kid," Eskara called back. "But it had to be done."

Eskara then launched himself at the still reeling Terry, throwing punches at him. Terry quickly came to his senses, and dodged around Eskara, setting him up for his Texas Calf Branding hold. Eskara escaped the move with ease, and set about using the move on Terry himself, improving the hold by holding both of Terry's arms instead of just the one.

"I call this one the Buffalo Brander!" Eskara sneered, as he drove Terry into the mat. "You know, Kenyon, you'll never be half da man your father was, you're nuthin' but a disgrace to da Terry family name."

Eskara stood up, wiping his hands together as though wiping off dirt.

"Eskara, it's over!" Jaeger yelled at him. "You've won already!"

"It ain't over until I say it is!" Eskara yelled back at him impatiently.

Eskara turned around to find Terry trying to get up again. Eskara mercilessly kicked at Terry's legs, even surprised himself by how easily he knocked Terry over. Terry rolled around on the mat, grabbing his leg and screaming in pain.

"Pathetic…" Eskara muttered, before bending down to grab Terry up.

Eskara launched himself and Terry into the air, positioning Terry as though he was about to before the Kinniku Buster.

"Hey, that's my move!" Kid cried.

"Not quite, Kid," Meat solemnly replied, pointing up at the duo. "He's modified it, look!"

The others watched as Eskara wrapped his legs around Terry's neck, making escape from the move impossible.

"He's corrected the one imperfection in the Kinniku Buster!" Meat gasped. "The one flaw in the Kinniku Buster was that the victim's head was free, and there was still a chance for the victim to escape the move. But with this modification, Terry doesn't have a hope in hell!"

Kid screamed in fright, grabbing onto Roxanne. In her transfixed state of horror, Roxanne ignored his act of cowardice, her eyes fixed on Eskara and Terry as they shot downwards towards the mat. As they collided with the mat, a brilliant white light filled the arena, temporarily blinding everyone watching.

When the light had faded, and everyone had regained their fullest powers of sight, they saw a crumpled, motionless, heap in the centre of the ring; and Eskara standing over the body, one fist raised in the air in smug satisfaction.

"Ah, Terry!" Kid screamed.

"I tell ya, this guy Eskara was hidin' a lot more than just his face under that disguise," Meat began, tapping a finger against his chin thoughtfully. "So come on, Kevin, tell us what you know about Eskara."

Meat, along with all the others, turned to the point where Kevin had been standing before the flash of light; but he had disappeared.

"Hey, where did he go?" Roxanne asked, searching the audience for any trace of the tall masked Brit.

"More to the point, where did Kiki get to?" Trixie asked, folding her arms as she scowled at Kiki's vacant seat.

"Kiki…" Roxanne whispered, turning to where Kiki had been. "I sure hope she's okay…"

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Revelations galore! Kiki learns of Dik Dik's dark secret, and Eskara confides in her regarding his disguise!


	8. Secrets Revealed

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ultimate Muscle. But I wish I owned Dik Dik and Mars… Now that would be cool…

 **Recap:** Eskara defeated Terry and revealed that he had been wearing a full-body disguise, and that he fights like a bad boy! Dik Dik had important business to take care of…

* * *

 **Chapter Seven – Secrets Revealed**

Kiki grabbed her arms around her knees, huddling up against the late evening wind. Her eyes were fixed on the setting sun, and although she knew it would soon be very dark, and very cold, she felt no inclination to move.

She snivelled to herself, grabbing the hem of her dress and wiping the tears from her face, only for hot, fresh trickles of salt water to replace them. She sniffed harder, shivering as another gust of wind blasted her face, chilling the tracks of her tears.

"Kiki?"

Kiki paused, wondering if she had imagined the voice. It was so quiet, and sounded almost ghostly against the wind that whistled relentlessly past her ears.

"I knew I would find you here. You always come here when you're sad about something."

Kiki glanced down over her arm, frowning down at the person looking back up at her.

"You've not been yourself for a while now, Kiki. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Kiki lied, turning her head back to face the setting sun.

"Nothing? You don't usually cry over nothing, Kiki. Although, you did cry at the end of _Titanic_ , whereas I was all like "just let go and die already!""

Kiki giggled involuntarily.

"There, see? It's not all bad. Even though you're laughing at me, it's a start. I'd rather you were laughing with me, but it's a start. Now, are you gonna come down out of that damn tree?"

Kiki dropped her feet over each side of the thick branch she was sat at the base of, leaning her head back against the trunk of the tree.

"I don't want to go to the buffet," she said softly.

"You don't have to!"

"Well good, because I don't want to."

"You don't have to! And I promise you don't have to go to any more IWF matches that Eskara is in. Now come down out of that stupid tree, already! You know, that time Trixie pulled out your slack tooth for you, and you hid up the tree, it was cute. You were 8 years old, of course it was cute! That time Dan pretended he wanted to go to the school disco with you, then stood you up, and you found out it was all a big joke, and then you hid in the tree it was understandable, but a bit weird. You were 14, and getting a bit old to be climbing trees. And then there was the time I set fire to your hair…"

"I was trying to grow it long for my sister's wedding," Kiki sighed."

"And you had to get it all cut off, but you like it short now! And again, you hid in the tree."

"I was 16."

"And now you're 18, and you're still hiding in trees every time something upsets you. I sorta wish I had a camera, Kiki, you look really funny. In your cute little fairy dress, with your hair all wild, and your make-up smeared all over your face… You look like a pre-menstrual wood elf!"

"Roxanne, you're not helping!" Kiki snapped.

"I'm sorry. Will you please come down?"

Kiki looked down at Roxanne, who held up both hands towards her, smiling earnestly.

"Come on, Kiki!" Roxanne urged.

"No," Kiki stubbornly replied, turning back to the horizon, where only half the sun was now visible.

"Well, you leave me no other choice…" Roxanne muttered.

"What?" Kiki muttered. "Hey!"

Roxanne grabbed at one of Kiki's dangling feet, and began to tug at her shoe.

"What are you doing?" Kiki yelped, as Roxanne succeeded in removing her shoe.

"You can't very well walk home in bare feet, Kiki!" Roxanne taunted her, waving her shoe in the air.

"Roxanne!"

"Get down out the tree, Kiki!"

Kiki sighed, swinging her other leg over the branch and grabbing on at either side of herself with both hands. She slid herself off the branch, supporting her descent with her hands. Once both her feet were on the cold, damp grass below, she held out one hand towards Roxanne expectantly.

Roxanne started to move the shoe towards Kiki's hand, but then snatched it back, turning her back on Kiki.

"That dress must have been real expensive, Kiki!" she said slyly, as she tapped the toe of Kiki's shoe against her chin.

"I had savings!" Kiki defended herself.

"Yeah, but you were saving that money for college," Roxanne reminded her, waggling Kiki's shoe in the air as she spoke.

"I don't need all my money for college," Kiki argued back weakly.

"Still," Roxanne sighed, spinning around on her heels to face her friend. "The dress was expensive, and you do look totally hot in it!"

Kiki looked down at herself, nervously smoothing the skirt over her thighs.

"It seems such a shame to let it go to waste…" Roxanne muttered.

"I wore it today!" Kiki pointed out, looking up at Roxanne again.

"For all of like an hour," Roxanne drawled, rolling her eyes. "A beautiful dress like that should be worn somewhere special. Like, I dunno, say a buffet in honour of the end of the first round of-"

"I'm not going back there!" Kiki stopped her, making a grab for her shoe.

"Ah-ah!" Roxanne warned, pulling the shoe out of her reach. "Let me finish…"

Roxanne turned her back on Kiki, taking five steps away from her, then stopping, her toes at the edge of the grass.

"Ooh, look at that, Kiki!" she said sarcastically, smirking over her shoulder at Kiki. "A gravel path! Man, I bet it would hurt to walk down that with a bare foot…"

"Roxanne, give me back my shoe!" Kiki wailed, running across the grass towards Roxanne's back.

"No can do!" Roxanne quickly said, leaping onto the course gravel path.

"Roxanne!" Kiki wailed, stumbling to a halt at the edge of the grass.

"Come on, Kiki!" Roxanne pleaded, backing away from her across the path. "I promise to stay with you, and we won't talk to any of the guys. Not even Kid."

Kiki narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, watching as Roxanne stepped off at the other side of the path, backing up onto the grass there. The path was very wide, so stepping over it in one giant step would be out of the question.

"And don't worry about Trixie," Roxanne continued. "She's not there tonight. She stayed at the hospital with Terry. He tore all the muscles in his neck, and he's in traction. And apparently, there's something wrong with his legs… It's really weird…"

Kiki curled her tongue over her top lip in concentration, scanning the width of the path and the edges of her own bank of grass and the one Roxanne stood on.

"They had to cut his boots off, it was totally gross!" Roxanne added. "Where his boots had been, his legs were all red and swollen, and the skin was coming off… It was horrible!"

Kiki skipped back several steps, then charged forwards, stretching her legs wider with every stride before launching herself into the air at the edge of the path. Roxanne watched, her jaw hanging low, as Kiki flew over the path, landing clearly on the grass next to her. In Roxanne's frozen state of shock, Kiki was able to take advantage, and snatch back her shoe.

"Thanks, Roxanne!" she chirped cheerfully, pulling her shoe back onto her foot.

"What?" Roxanne recovered. "But that's not fair! Where did you learn how to fly?"

"Six years of ballet!" Kiki brightly replied, arching one arm over her head and spinning around on the spot.

"You…" Roxanne growled, bunching her fists and pressing them against her hips.

Kiki smiled, studying her friend for a moment.

"But even though I won, I'll still let you have what you want," she offered, after a short silence had passed between them. "I'll go to the buffet with you – but first of all, I really have to clean myself up!"

"You're damn right you do!" Roxanne replied, suppressing a smile, and trying to maintain a look of stern authority. "You've got black marks all over your face, and tree bark all over your ass!"

Kiki laughed openly at Roxanne, before hooking her arm through Roxanne's, and allowing her to guide her out of the park.

* * *

Kiki smiled back at Roxanne as her friend sat down next to her at a small table set back from the main dance-floor. They had snuck into the buffet, and managed to avoid the concentration of people at the other end of the hall, as Roxanne intended to keep her promise of staying with Kiki, and staying away from the others.

Kiki clasped her hands together on the surface of the table, trying to amuse herself with watching her fingers, trying her hardest to avoid the mounting temptation to look over at the crowd.

"Do you want a drink?" Roxanne asked her.

"Okay," Kiki agreed.

"Hey, Kiki, there's no-one at the sandwiches, why don't you get a plate of sandwiches for us while I get the drinks?"

"Oh, okay."

Kiki nodded her head, watching Roxanne walk towards the bar. She glanced over at the end of the buffet table, which lined two walls of the room, finding that Roxanne was indeed correct; all the guests were standing at the back wall, leaving the bottom end of the table free.

She slipped out of her seat and walked over to the table, picking up a paper plate and inspecting the remaining selection of sandwiches. She curled her lip as she found most of them had been bitten into, or squashed by questioning fingers, or merely opened up and left to dry out.

As she perused the selection of snacks, Kiki felt an odd sensation, a feeling she knew only too well; and before she could stop herself, she had turned her head to look up at the top end of the room, her eyes landing instantly onto Eskara's.

He was standing against the table, surrounded by a group of women who were half his size. They were all cooing over him and taking it in turns to position themselves next to him as their friends photographed them.

But Eskara's eyes were fixed on Kiki.

He was smiling slightly, one hand hanging by his side, the other holding a glass of something that looked like fruit juice. Kiki's eyes grew in size as he took a step forwards, her heart quickening as she began to toy with the idea of him coming over to talk to her.

She sighed with relief when he turned to look down at his hoard of female admirers, turning her head back to look at the table. Eskara, as he was now in his true form, was the sort of good-looking guy who could probably have a different girlfriend every night of the week; and, Kiki told herself, he probably did. Judging by the size of the group of women around him, in one night he had managed to acquire enough women to last him the duration of the tournament, and well beyond.

Kiki reached out towards a tray of less-handled sandwiches, pulling it towards herself to get a closer look at what it held. She thought for a moment, then reached out towards the back corner of the tray, where there appeared to be some completely untouched sandwiches; but quickly withdrew her hand at the sound of footsteps approaching her from one side.

Kiki turned sharply, her face paling as she was confronted with Eskara.

"You gotta minute?" he asked, pointing over her shoulder.

Kiki turned around, seeing the same fire-exit she had snuck up to two nights previously to spy on him through.

"I…" she said weakly, turning back to him and holding up her paper plate.

"Roxanne's a big girl, I'm sure she can get her own sandwiches," Eskara assured her, taking the plate from her hands and flinging it down on to the table.

Kiki found no further cause to argue with him, and so obediently turned around, walking down the short corridor to the fire-exit.

She hesitated by the door, but Eskara reached past her, shoving it open, and then held an arm out to indicate she should walk through it ahead of him. Kiki swallowed hard, stepping out into the cold night air. Eskara followed her closely, pushing the door shut firmly behind them.

"I guess what you saw today was a bit of shock, huh?" he asked, stepping towards Kiki to close the gap between them.

"Shock?" Kiki echoed, her voice sounding weak and wavering to even her own ears. "Well…"

Kiki took a decisive step back from Eskara, and he halted his advance.

"I knew you were wearing a mask, I just thought that…" she began, unsure of what she had thought really lay beneath his mask.

"You thought dat I wore a mask for the same reasons dose other guys do," Eskara finished for her. "Like Kevin Mask, and Kid Muscle."

"Right…" Kiki said, nodding her head slowly. "Because it's a family tradition."

"Actually, I was thinkin' more like cause they're both so darn ugly, but sure, family tradition sounds good too," Eskara said, curling one side of his mouth into an amused smirk.

Kiki knew he had meant that last remark as a joke, but she was still so confused and bewildered, she could not even smile, let alone laugh.

"You gotta understand, I needed dat disguise to get to where I am today," Eskara explained. "It's a long story, but… Did I see you talkin' to Kevin Mask earlier?"

"Me?' Kiki asked, pressing a hand against her chest. "N-no, not me! He was talking to Meat and Kid about something, but not me!"

"Ah…"

Eskara turned his head to one side, looking up slightly, as though looking at the stars again. Kiki began to curl the fingers of her hand on her chest as she looked up at him, taking in his immaculate profile. He had such distinguished features, he looked almost regal. He had a strong, straight jawline, and pronounced cheekbones. And his nose was perfectly straight from bridge to tip.

He shifted his sharp amber eyes back to Kiki suddenly, before slowly turning his head around to face her front on.

"Are you scared of me?" he asked suddenly, taking another step towards her.

"No!" Kiki squeaked, staggering back from him.

"You was never scared of me before, when I was wearin' dat disguise," he added, taking another step towards her.

"I'm n-not scared," Kiki lied, stumbling back from him continually, as he slowly followed her, one step at a time. "I was bit shocked to… To see what you… What you really look like."

"I see," Eskara said, smiling darkly. "And so now dat you know what I really look like, what do ya think?"

Kiki raised one finger as though she was about to answer him, but stopped as her back collided with a concrete pillar protruding from the wall of the dancehall, abruptly ending her retreat.

"Do you like what ya see?" Eskara asked, continuing to slowly walk towards her.

Kiki nodded nervously, too scared to talk, but too frightened to leave his question unanswered.

"You probably noticed I got me a few female fans back there," Eskara said, stopping in front of Kiki, darkening her under his shadow. "But I still remember dat you liked me even when you thought I was just a bald and ugly old man…"

Eskara leaned forwards, planting one hand against the pillar, blocking Kiki's only route of escape.

"Dat sure means a lot to me, Kiki," he whispered, brushing the fingers of his other hand against her cheek.

Kiki trembled under his touch, raising her chin slightly as a furtive look flashed across Eskara's eyes.

"Oh and by the way, Kiki," he whispered, moving his face closer to hers. "Thanks for puttin' on such a sexy dress for me, and thanks for cheerin' me on today."

Kiki opened her mouth to answer him, but before she could speak, Eskara swiftly closed the marginal gap between them, pressing his lips against hers. Kiki's eyes widened in shock at the contact, but when Eskara's hand slid from the wall and came to rest on her waist, she began to relax, her eyes fluttering shut.

Kiki moved one hand to Eskara's chest, pressing the tips of her fingers into his muscles. As she moved her other hand up to do the same, Eskara let out a low growl against her lips, sliding his hand down over her hip and onto her bare thigh.

Kiki moved one hand over his shoulder and around the back of his head, tilting back her head and sucking his bottom lip into her mouth. Eskara responded to her advance by sliding his tongue into her mouth, deepening their kiss.

Kiki's fingers bit into Eskara's shoulders as he moved his hand around the back of her thigh, pushing his way underneath her dress. His hands felt so rough against her bare skin, and yet his lips were soft and warm, and she did not want to ever break their kiss. Kiki ran her tongue along Eskara's top row of teeth, her eyes snapping open again as she felt the shape of his fangs.

Eskara slowly pulled back from her, frowning down at her questioningly.

"Are you okay?" he asked, cupping her chin in one hand.

"Fine…" she lied, breathing heavily. "I should really get back… Back to Roxanne."

"Right," Eskara replied with a nod.

"And it's getting so late, my dad would kill me if I got home a minute after midnight," Kiki added.

Eskara straightened away from Kiki, pulling a face at her remark; but his gesture went unnoticed by Kiki, who was inspecting her watch.

"I'll see you tomorrow night," she offered, looking up at him again and smiling sweetly.

"Tomorrow night?" Eskara brightened, placing his hand on the pillar again and leaning over her. "Now dat sounds good to me…"

"Yeah, Roxanne got us tickets to the tournament analysis show," Kiki added. "So we'll be there to see you, Kid, Dik Dik and Hydrozoa talk to the fans!"

Eskara curled his top lip and frowned heavily, looking suddenly displeased with what Kiki had said; but again, she failed to notice his aggravation.

"Well, I should get going," she said decisively, glancing at Eskara's hand next to her head.

"Sure," Eskara tightly replied, stepping back from her and moving his hand away from the pillar.

Kiki smiled up at Eskara as she passed him, then began to walk around the building towards the front entrance. Eskara watched her back for a moment, before shaking his head to himself and hurrying after her. As he caught up with her, he took a hold of her hand in his, smiling down at her as she turned to him.

"So, you live wid your parents, huh?" he asked casually, as they walked on, hand-in-hand.

"Yeah," Kiki replied. "But not for much longer, the girls and I are going to college after the summer, and we're going to be staying together in the city."

"College, huh? I guess that means your smart, too."

"Smart too?"

"I mean you're smart as well as beautiful."

Eskara winked at Kiki, raising her hand to his lips and softly kissing her knuckles. Kiki blushed nervously, turning her head away from him in a weak attempt to hide her shyness. Once her cheeks had cooled, she turned back to Eskara, smiling up at him; but his face had suddenly gone pale.

Eskara slowed his pace, eventually stopping completely, and forcing Kiki to do the same at his side. She frowned up at him, searching his eyes as she awaited an explanation for his actions; but he was watching something over her shoulder.

Kiki turned her head to follow his stare, finding Dik Dik Van Dik standing at the very edge of the carpark, almost hidden from view under the shadow of the trees that stood there. He appeared to be talking to someone, but Kiki could not see who it was for the shadows.

"I gotta go, Kiki," Eskara said in a low voice.

Kiki turned back to face him, finding he was still watching Dik Dik.

"I'll see ya tomorrow, sweetheart," he whispered.

Kiki started towards Eskara to kiss him goodbye, but he quickly released her hand, turned his back on her and hurriedly walked off around the back of the building. Kiki watched him leave until he had disappeared from her sight, before turning back to watch Dik Dik.

She wondered why Dik Dik would be hanging around outside the dancehall in the dark, and curiosity demanded she find out who he was talking to.

Keeping close to the wall of the dancehall, Kiki slowly crept across the carpark, watching Dik Dik carefully as she went. As she drew nearer, she began to hear his voice; and he sounded impatient.

"What part of no don't you understand?" Dik Dik snapped, his voice hushed, yet laced with repressed anger. "I kept my part of the deal, you can't possibly want anything else from me!"

"Forsooth, Van Dik, thou must consider the gravest of dangers I hath put myself through for thou!" a voice replied.

"Dangers?" Dik Dik echoed, his voice slightly raised. "How dangerous do you think this was for me, Checkmate!"

"Checkmate?" Kiki mouthed silently, her eyes doubling in size in her shock.

"Monetary gains mean nothing to me, Van Dik," Checkmate said. "I hath performed a favour for thou, and now thou art indebted to me."

"I owe you nothing!" Dik Dik growled, clenching a fist in the air at Checkmate's silhouetted figure.

"I took upon myself a great risk for thou, Van Dik," Checkmate plainly replied. "If thou art were a gentleman, thou wouldst repay mine favour!"

"I'm repaying you now, you irritating buffoon!" Dik Dik snarled, thrusting a hand towards Checkmate. "Just take the money, and go. Five thousand, just like we agreed."

"Fine," Checkmate said, snatching the bundle of notes from Dik Dik's hand. "I will accept this payment for my deed. But me thinks me should warn thee, thou play a very dangerous game, Van Dik. A game far more dangerous than even the game of chess-"

"There's nothing "dangerous" about a game of chess! You have your money, now shut-up and leave me alone!"

"In any game, Van Dik, be it the fine game of chess, or even the honourable game of wrestling, it always pays to truly understand one's opponent."

"I understand perfectly well. My opponent is my enemy, and I intend to pulverise him!"

"I hath watched your opponent, the one you call "Eskara". Thou must remember, appearances can indeed be deceptive."

"Stop talking in riddle, Checkmate! What do you want?"

"Thou already knows my demands. I want a place in the Muscle League."

"No can do."

"Then I am afraid I cannot disclose Eskara's secret."

"Secret?"

"Indeed. Good day to you, Dik Dik Van Dik."

Checkmate's shadow began to walk away, and Dik Dik spun around to face the dancehall, his ears flat against his head and his teeth bared in rage. Kiki quickly ran inside out of his view, hurrying on until she reached the sanctuary of the main hall. There she stopped to think over all that she had just witnessed.

What sort of favour had Checkmate done for Dik Dik? And why would Dik Dik, an honourable Muscle Leaguer through and through, be making any sort of deal with a member of the DMP?

And, Kiki wondered, what was Eskara's secret – a secret that only Checkmate knew?

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Kid Muscle runs away (again!) and Kiki does some more eavesdropping – this time on Kevin Mask!


	9. One of the Good Guys

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ultimate Muscle. I don't any of the characters. Nothing. Not a sausage.

 **Recap:** Kiki shared a passionate kiss with Eskara, and she overhead an unusual conversation between Dik Dik Van Dik and DMP member Checkmate.

* * *

 **Chapter Eight – One of the Good Guys**

Kiki's vision blurred for a moment as Trixie ran at Roxanne, throwing her arms around her, whilst Terry lay unconscious in the hospital bed. Although Kiki was secretly glad Eskara had beaten Terry, she wished his victory had not been so violent; Terry was a kind person, and she had always liked him, and it pained her to see him so badly hurt.

"What is that bitch doing here!" Trixie snarled, pushing Roxanne away from her and rounding on Kiki.

Kiki turned to Trixie, a chill rushing down her spine as she saw the state Trixie was in. Her hair was knotted and matted, her make-up was smeared over her face, her clothes were badly creased and she was visibly trembling.

"Trixie, did you sleep here last night?" Kiki asked quietly.

"Yeah I did!" Trixie replied, stalking towards Kiki as she spoke. "Where did you sleep? In a nest, with your birdman?"

"Whoa, Trixie, calm down!" Roxanne said, jumping after Trixie and grabbing her arms from behind.

"Geddoff me!" Trixie snapped, tugging at her arms.

Roxanne held on firmly, digging in her heels to halt Trixie's progress.

"You know, I always thought I would be the one to break our promise, especially when I started seeing Kid," Roxanne said snappily. "But it looks like I'm the only one who kept the promise!"

"The promise…" Kiki said softly.

"The promise was stupid!" Trixie cried dramatically. "We all knew none of us would ever keep it!"

"The promise wasn't stupid to me!" Roxanne declared. "We all promised that no man would ever come between us. And look at us! It's happened already, and we haven't even started college yet!"

"It's not my fault!" Trixie sobbed. "It was her, and that stupid Eskara!"

Trixie jabbed her finger at Kiki as she spoke, causing Kiki's eyes to water over again.

"No, Trixie, you're only half right," Roxanne corrected her. "It was you as well. You are both upset because you sat and watched the men you were attracted to beat the crap out of each other, knowing that only one would be left standing at the end of it."

"I've always liked Terry," Trixie hissed. "Kiki's little "thing" with Eskara is the problem, here! I mean, it's so stupid! You're so stupid, Kiki! Do you honestly think Eskara is interested in you?"

Kiki felt her heart stop, and her skin prickle at Trixie's remark. A single tear burst from her eye, sliding down to her jaw, where it lingered for a moment, before falling to the ground.

"Think about it, Kiki," Trixie continued, ripping her arms from Roxanne's hold and marching up to Kiki. "Maybe before you stood a chance, but look at the situation now. He's gorgeous. He's famous. He's rich. He's successful. Every woman on this planet wants him. Why the hell would he want a boring, little, goody-two-shoes, freckle-faced, mousy girl-next-door like you?"

Kiki gasped, her heart jumping back into motion, thumping so hard her temples throbbed.

"Trixie!" Roxanne gasped, looking even more shocked than Kiki at Trixie's cold-hearted words.

"They say you have to be cruel to be kind," Trixie carried on, stretching to her fullest height to stand over the smaller Kiki. "And as your friend, it's my duty to be kind to you now. Stick to what you know. You remember what happened with Dan, right? The same thing will happen here. Eskara isn't interested in you. The only thing you have that he could possibly find attractive, is your inside knowledge of his future opponents. Take my advice, Kiki. Go back to dating the skinny, feminine, geeky boys you usually go for. Eskara is way out of your league, and if you keep lusting after him, all that will happen, is that you will get hurt. Stop now, before it hurts so much, you never recover."

"Trixie, that was uncalled for!" Roxanne wailed, becoming tearful herself. "We agreed to talk to Kiki sensibly about this!"

"We didn't agree on anything, Roxanne," Trixie spat. "And besides, we've been soft with her for too long. It's time we were honest."

"So this is what you both think of me?" Kiki asked quietly, glancing between Trixie and Roxanne.

"Trixie made it sound much worse than it is," Roxanne began. "We meant-"

"You meant I'm not as pretty, or popular, or as cool as either of you are," Kiki interrupted her. "Well that's fine. At least now I know exactly where I stand. I'm going home now. Goodbye."

"Kiki!" Roxanne said, starting after Kiki as she ran out of the room.

Trixie grabbed onto Roxanne's arm, locking her in a death-grip.

"What the hell was all that about, Trixie?" Roxanne snarled, trying to pull herself from Trixie's hold.

"Don't play nice girl with me, Roxanne, I know you felt exactly the same way," Trixie coldly answered her. "And don't worry, Kiki will come round. She always does."

"She better," Roxanne growled.

* * *

Kiki hung back in the shadows, waiting until Roxanne and Trixie had taken their seats in the front row before sneaking along the back row to find her own seat. After her falling out with Trixie, she had traded her front row ticket for one at the very back, so as to avoid the girls.

As she walked along the row, Kiki's attention was focussed on the number on her ticket, and the number on the seats, and it was not until she sat down that she realised who was seated next to.

"Oh my God, Kevin?" she blurted, looking up at the masked Chojin warrior sat next to her.

Kevin was sitting up perfectly straight, his arms folded across his broad chest, his long coat removed and hanging around his seat.

"Hello," he quietly answered her, without turning his head from the stage at the front of the arena.

"Hi," Kiki replied, studying him curiously. "What are you doing here?"

"I came here for the same reasons you did," he answered plainly.

"Oh."

Kiki nodded her head slowly, deciding Kevin was obviously not in the mood for conversation. She turned her attention instead to her programme, skimming through the lengthy introduction written by Vance McMadd, which tried to justify the reasoning for the tournament.

"Shouldn't you be sitting with your other friends?"

Kiki paused for a moment, surprised that Kevin was actually making small talk with her.

"You mean Roxanne and Trixie?" she asked, turning to face him.

"The girl Kid Muscle is dating and her blonde friend," Kevin answered, his eyes still fixed on the curtained stage.

"Yeah…" Kiki answered vaguely, looking down at Roxanne and Trixie, who were whispering to each other and giggling,

 _Probably laughing at me_ , she thought to herself.

"So why are you sitting up here?" Kevin pressed.

"I had a…" Kiki began; before deciding not to tell Kevin about her problems with Trixie. "I didn't manage to get a front row ticket," she said instead.

"There is a spare seat beside your blonde friend," Kevin frankly told her.

"Is there?" Kiki asked, pretending not to notice.

"I had hoped to get some privacy up here," Kevin muttered.

Kiki narrowed her eyes at him, finally understanding why he was bothering to talk to her.

"I'm sorry," she said flatly. "But I wouldn't feel right sitting in a seat that isn't mine."

Kiki smiled to herself then as she sighted the boy she had traded her ticket with, who sat himself down next to Trixie. Trixie turned to stare at him, looking thoroughly disgusted. He began to talk to her, pointing back at where Kiki sat.

Kiki quickly lifted the programme up in front of her face to hide herself from her friends, turning past Vance's introduction to the section profiling each of the semi-finalists. Kiki paused at the page on Eskara, finding the picture of him still showed him in his earlier disguise. As she read through his vital statistics, she heard Kevin mutter something at her side, and she moved her eyes to him, wondering what he was talking about; but he was talking too quietly for her to decipher any individual words, and thanks to his substantial iron mask, she could not rely on reading his lips to understand him.

The voice of Vance McMadd drew Kiki's attention back to the stage, and she lowered her programme just enough to spy over the top of it at the stage. Vance announced the entrance of Kid Muscle and Hydrozoa, and at either side of him, the wrestlers were lowered to the stage in life-size action figure packaging.

Hydrozoa burst out of his packaging, and walked over to take a seat on one of the four stools immediately behind Vance. Kid Muscle, meanwhile, was having difficulty breaking the plastic, and was beginning to panic. Meat started towards Kid, stopping to screw his face up disgust as Kid farted loudly inside the packaging. Kid smiled for a moment, before pegging his fingers over his nose and beating a fist against the packaging as the air around him became toxic.

Meat quickly ran over and broke open the packaging, staggering back and choking on the smell that escaped with Kid.

"Thanks, Meat!" Kid giggled, walking over to take a seat on the end stool.

Meat coughed and spluttered, waving a hand in front of his face in an attempt to waft away the noxious gases. As Meat joined Kid, the front row of the audience began to cough and complain of the smell, their vocalisations slowly spreading back as the smell drifted up through the audience.

"How disgusting!" Kevin grumbled as Kiki used her programme to waft the smell away from them. "The Muscle family are nothing but a joke!"

Once he had suitably recovered from the effects of Kid's flatulence, Vance announced the entrance of Eskara and Dik Dik Van Dik, who were lowered to the stage in the same manner as Kid and Hydrozoa had been.

Eskara was the first to break out of his packaging, walking directly to a stool and sitting down. Dik Dik tore out his packaging with his antler fist, marching over to the final stool. Kiki sat forwards to watch Dik Dik, noticing he still had the same infuriated look about him from the night before when she had seen him talking with Checkmate. His ears were flat against his head, his eyes were thinned and his fists were so tightly clenched at his sides, every muscle and sinew in his arms were taut and bulging.

A woman three rows in front of Kiki and Kevin turned to her friends, smiling dreamily.

"Eskara is one of the good guys!" she whispered.

"Stupid woman," Kevin muttered, his voice only loud enough for Kiki to hear. "You don't know how wrong you are."

Kiki frowned at Kevin's profile, wishing he would explain his venomous outburst; but as usual, he remained still and silent.

"Our semi-final matches will take place over the next two days," Vance announced, as Eskara and Dik Dik eyed each other over in disgust behind him. "First up, in tomorrow's match-up, we'll have Hydrozoa taking on Kid Muscle!"

Kid Muscle laughed nervously as Hydrozoa turned to look at him, dragging Meat around to stand between them.

"And the day after that, Eskara will take on Dik Dik Van Dik!" Vance said.

"I'm gonna crush you, loser," Eskara muttered, scowling at Dik Dik.

"I'll kill you first," Dik Dik snarled back, baring his teeth viciously.

"Hey guys, I've got a much better idea!" Kid offered, slipping off his stool and passing Hydrozoa to approach Dik Dik. "Why don't we just have a tag team match to decide the tournament? What do ya say, Dik Dik? You and me against Eskara and Hydrozoa!"

"What's the matter, Kid Muscle, too scared to face me on your own?" Hydrozoa taunted Kid.

"No thanks, Kid," Dik Dik answered solemnly. "I want to take Eskara out on my own…"

"In your dreams," Eskara scoffed. "By the time I'm done wid you, you'll be forced to go back to Lapland, pulling sledges for Santa Claus, Rudolph!"

"How dare you?" Dik Dik roared, standing up abruptly.

Kid shrieked in fear and shock at Dik Dik's sudden reaction, leaping into Meat's arms and chewing at his fingernails. Meat groaned, dropping Kid to the stage and causing him to scream again from the impact.

"Don't you know I'm an endangered species?" Dik Dik growled, raising a fist in the air between himself and Eskara.

"Endangered species, huh?" Eskara said, mocking interest in Dik Dik's statement. "Then I guess after our match you'll be working for the WWF, not the IWF."

Dik Dik hesitated to respond, the entire arena falling silent as he stood over Eskara, who was still seated, slouched low in his stool, his arms folded, looking entirely disinterested with the whole affair.

Dik Dik then swiped his right hand at Eskara, in a move so swift, Eskara had no time to defend himself. His head snapped back, and the audience gasped in shock as Dik Dik stepped back, his antler fist hanging at his side, the points dripping with fresh blood.

Eskara got to his feet, one hand on his cheek. He took a step towards Dik Dik, then took his hand down to look at it, rubbing his fingertips together, his eyes flashing in fury at the sight of his own blood. Dik Dik's deadly antler fist had cut two gashes down one side of Eskara's face, from his ear to his chin, leaving a curtain of scarlet blood seeping over his lower jaw.

Eskara bunched a fist and started towards Dik Dik, but the officials quickly jumped up to the stage, holding the two apart. As they struggled to go at each other, Vance gave a speech about how exciting the ensuing fight between the two would be. Hydrozoa helped in holding Eskara back as Meat helped in restraining Dik Dik.

Kid Muscle, meanwhile, was sneaking out of the arena.

* * *

Kiki crept around the backstage area of the arena, looking for Eskara. She wanted to make sure he was alright after Dik Dik's attack, but she was not having much luck finding him; in fact, she was not having much luck finding anyone.

Kiki eventually stumbled across a partially open door to a dressing room that looked as though it was still in use.

"Hello?" she said softly, knocking on the door.

She poked her head around the door, looking around the room. When she found no-one there, she backed out of the room again, pausing as her feet reached the hall. She frowned to herself, stepping back into the room.

What was that?

Kiki looked back out into the corridor, looking up and down the hall to ensure no-one would catch her snooping around the room. Once she was confident she was completely alone, she walked over to the glass bottle by the vanity desk, picking it up to read the label.

"Danger, highly corrosive," she read aloud. "Handle with extreme caution. Sulphuric acid."

Kiki frowned, replacing the bottle to its place on the vanity desk. The bottle was half empty, and it looked like the sort of thing only available in scientific laboratories; certainly not the sort of thing one could readily find in a shop.

Kiki looked around the room, wondering who would carry such a dangerous chemical and why. She sighed in frustration when she found no clue as to who had been in the room, about ready to give up her search; but then she noticed something in the mirror.

Kiki spun around to face what she saw, walking up to the door to confirm her suspicions.

She slowly lifted the black coat from its hook at the back of the door, holding it up to inspect it more closely.

"Dik Dik…?" she muttered, lowering the jacket again.

* * *

"Kiki!" Terry said brightly, waving at her as she walked up to the door of his private room at the hospital.

"Terry!" she greeted him, stopping in the doorway. "How are you?"

"I'm alright," Terry replied, despite the fact that his head, neck and shoulders were still held in traction.

He was sitting up in the bed, forcing a brave smile for his visitor.

"I reckon ma worst ailment must be ma legs, Kiki," he added. "Those boots done tore right through ma skin!"

Kiki frowned, walking into the room. As she did so, she became aware of a shadow by the window. She turned her head sharply, hoping it was not Trixie; she had done a fantastic job of avoiding the girls thus far. But it was not Trixie. Nor was it even Roxanne.

It was Dik Dik Van Dik.

He was standing leaning against the windowsill, his arms folded, his ears plastered to his head, his jaw tight, his eyes narrowed. He glared at Kiki silently, his stare so intense, she was forced to look away.

"The doctors said they done found some sorta strange substance in the linin' of ma boots!" Terry continued. "They reckon that's what caused me so much pain in my match against Eskara!"

"Substance?" Kiki repeated.

"Some sorta acid, they said it was," Terry explained. "Burned right through ma skin, and made Eskara's attacks hurt like all hell!"

"Acid…"

Kiki turned to Dik Dik, unable to hide her shock as she looked into his eyes. Had he used that acid she had found against Terry? And if so, why? Why would be want to sabotage the match, to cost his friend and team-mate a victory? Had it not been Dik Dik who had accused the others of not taking the tournament seriously enough?

Unless, Kiki thought to herself, Dik Dik had done it to ensure Terry's defeat; to ensure he would face Eskara himself in the semi-final match.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Kid returns to take on Hydrozoa at Vance McMadd's beach resort, and a bad case of mispronunciation leads to a conflict between Eskara and Kevin Mask. **Chapter Nine – Beach Party**.


	10. Beach Party!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own it – yet… Work on the time machine is slow and arduous, but once I'm done, I shall go back in time and claim ownership of Ultimate Muscle! Muahahahahahaha!

 **Recap:** Kiki suspects Kevin Mask of hiding something about Eskara, and after finding something unusual in Dik Dik's changing room, she wants to know if Dik Dik was the cause for Terry's loss at the hands of Eskara.

* * *

 **Chapter Nine – Beach Party!**

As Kiki made her way across the beach towards the boardwalk, she began to hear Trixie and Roxanne as they argued is hushed tones by the commentator's table.

"She's changed!" Trixie hissed, turning her back on Roxanne.

"She hasn't changed!" Roxanne argued back. "You're the one who changed! All I'm asking is for you to just talk to her sensibly-"

"Yeah, well, lucky for you I'm in a good mood today," Trixie replied, turning back to Roxanne. "Just so long as she doesn't turn up in that awful dress again, then maybe I can consider talking to her again."

Kiki sighed softly, as her suspicions were confirmed: they were arguing about her. Kiki had predicted Trixie would feel the way she did, and had been reluctant to accept Roxanne's invitation to join them at Kid's match.

But, she reminded herself, she was not here because of Trixie, or even because of Kid; she was here because Roxanne had asked her to come.

Kiki drew in a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly, walking onwards to where Trixie and Roxanne were standing. Trixie, being the nearest to her approach, saw her first, her face changing the moment they met eyes.

"Hi, Kiki!" she drawled, her tone dripping with condescension.

"Hi Trixie," Kiki lightly replied, forcing a smile. "Hi Roxanne."

"Kiki!" Roxanne called to her, waving a hand over her head. "I'm so glad you came!"

"I'm not," Trixie muttered.

Roxanne shoved her way past Trixie, glowering at her as she went. She walked over to meet Kiki, grinning widely at her.

"Hey, Kiki, you missed the IWF conference with the semi-finalists yesterday!" Roxanne said as they met.

"I was there, actually," Kiki quietly replied, glancing at Trixie.

"You were?" Roxanne echoed, starting back towards Trixie.

"Yeah," Kiki confirmed, walking along at Roxanne's side.

"Oh. Oh well, I guess you saw what happened with Dik Dik."

"Dik Dik?"

Kiki frowned up at Roxanne as they stopped by Trixie, her mind instantly replaying the look on Dik Dik's face in the hospital the day before, and what she had found in his dressing room at the conference.

"The guy that actually likes you bitch-slapped the guy you're obsessed with," Trixie plainly said.

"Oh!" Kiki recovered, nodding her head. "Yeah, I did see that."

"Terry's better, thanks for asking," Trixie said, running her eyes over Kiki.

"Yeah, I saw him last night," Kiki replied.

"You went to see Terry?" Roxanne asked. "Oh. Well, that's good."

"Yeah… Guys, there's something I think you all should know…"

Trixie's face slowly changed as Kiki's words peaked her interest.

"It's about Dik Dik," Kiki continued, lowering her voice. "I think he might have-"

"Ladies, do you mind if ve join you?"

The girls turned to find Jaeger and Broken Junior standing a short distance behind them. They turned back to each other, shrugging their shoulders as each of them failed to think of a way of refusing the young Chojin.

"Of course not!" Roxanne said brightly, smiling at Jaeger.

Jaeger and Broken Junior sat down in the deckchairs by the railing the girls stood at, and began a conversation between themselves. Trixie and Roxanne watched them for a moment, before rounding on Kiki.

"Tell us," Trixie whispered.

"I-I can't," Kiki whispered back, glancing at Jaeger. "If anyone heard…"

"Don't worry about Jaeger and Broken, they can't hear us," Roxanne assured her.

"Well, if you're sure…"

"We're sure," Trixie and Roxanne said in unison.

"Okay," Kiki began. "Well, not last night but the night before, at the buffet, I saw Dik Dik outside in the parking lot. He was talking to-"

"Oh, look, Dorothy, it's those nice young girls Wally made friends with!"

The girls turned around, trying to hide their impatience at the interruptions, finding the task particularly difficult when they found themselves confronted by Wally Tusket's mother and sister.

"Hi, Mrs Tusket!" Roxanne greeted her. "How's Wally?"

"Oh, you're such a sweet girl!" Wally's mother answered her. "Isn't she a sweet girl, Dorothy?"

Dorothy nodded her head, smiling up at her mother.

"Now why can't my Wally find himself a nice, sweet girl like you?"

Roxanne gulped audibly, her mouth trembling as she tried to cover her awkwardness with a false smile.

"Mum, Roxanne is dating Kid Muscle!" Dorothy pointed out, tugging at her mother's dress as she spoke.

"Of course!" her mother said, shaking her head. "And we all know the little freckled girl is dating Dik Dik Van Dik. I guess that just leaves the tall, pretty blonde girl!"

Kiki's jaw dropped, Roxanne began to smile, and Trixie merely shook her head.

"Sorry, Mrs Tusket," Trixie calmly replied. "I'm sorta seeing someone too. But I hear things aren't going too well between Dik Dik and Kiki, so there's hope for old Wally yet!"

"Oh, you're such a lovely girl!" Mrs Tusket gushed. "Come along, Dorothy, let's find our seats."

The girls watched Wally's mother and sister walk to their seats, waiting for them to sit down before rounding on Kiki again.

"Well?" they asked in unison.

"Why does everybody think I'm dating Dik Dik?" Kiki wailed.

"Who cares?" Trixie dismissed. "Just tell us who your boyfriend was talking to!"

"But-"

"Who was it?" Trixie and Roxanne asked in unison.

"Checkmate," Kiki meekly replied.

"What?!" Roxanne and Trixie yelped.

"He was talking to Checkmate," Kiki said again. "I think he was paying him for something. Checkmate said he wanted a place in the Muscle League, but Dik Dik insisted he take the money instead."

"But Checkmate's DMP!" Roxanne pointed out.

"I know," Kiki sighed. "But Dik Dik had to use someone outside of the Muscle League – outside of the IWF – for what he needed."

"What do you mean?" Trixie asked suspiciously.

"Well, after the conference, I went looking for… Well anyway, I stumbled into Dik Dik's dressing room, and I found something."

"Like what?" Roxanne asked.

"A bottle of-"

"Hey, has da kid been disqualified yet?"

Trixie and Roxanne rolled their eyes in despair, turning to find Eskara walking towards them.

"Good afternoon, ladies!" he greeted them.

"Hi, Eskara," Roxanne and Trixie said in unison.

They watched him sit down next to Jaeger, slouching back into his seat to watch the ring.

"Okay, a bottle of what?" Trixie snapped, as she turned back to Kiki.

"Acid," Kiki hurriedly replied. "It was acid."

"What, like drugs?" Roxanne asked curiously.

"No, like real acid!" Kiki replied. "Like Sulphuric acid!"

"Sulphuric acid?" Trixie echoed. "That's really weird, cause at the hospital, they said they found that stuff in Terry's boots. They say that's what caused his legs to break out."

"Exactly," Kiki whispered.

"Oh my God, you think Dik Dik put the acid in Terry's boots?" Roxanne gasped.

Kiki nodded silently, but Trixie shook her head.

"No!" she denied. "Why would he do something like that? To his own team-mate! To his own friend!"

"Yeah!" Roxanne agreed. "I mean, all he succeeded in doing was costing Terry the match! Which now means he has to face Eskara himself!"

"Oh," Trixie said, her eyes narrowing as the realisation of the situation occurred to her.

"Oh my God, he did it because he wanted to make sure he would get to fight Eskara!" Roxanne said, speaking Trixie's thoughts for her.

"You guys, this is all my fault!" Kiki added.

"You think he's doing this because he likes you?" Roxanne asked.

"Why else would he-"

"Roxanne!"

Roxanne spun around, her eyes twitching as her anger began to boil.

"What?" she snapped.

"Roxanne, I can't find the kid anywhere!" Meat wailed, running towards her.

"Who cares about Kid Muscle?" Trixie laughed. "This is far more interesting! Tell us more, Kiki!"

Kiki sighed, hanging her head. She saw absolutely nothing funny about the entire situation, and she was quite annoyed at Trixie for thinking it could be made into a joke.

"I'm sure Kid will show up soon, Meat," Roxanne assured Meat. "Just be patient."

Roxanne walked back over to the girls, motioning for them to huddle closer together.

"If everything you're saying is true, Kiki, this is a major problem," she whispered.

"I know!" Kiki whispered. "What should I do?"

"I say we confront Dik Dik," Trixie said decisively. "And I vote Kiki to do it. Here's your chance now, Kiki!"

Kiki spun around, her eyes widening as she saw Dik Dik walking towards them. He smiled as she looked into his eyes, his whole attention focussed on her alone.

"Hello, ladies," he said; although he was only looking at Kiki as he said it.

"Hi, Dik Dik," Trixie drawled. "Decided to show up for this one, huh?"

"What?" Dik Dik muttered, moving his eyes from Kiki for the first time since his arrival.

"Well, you didn't show face for Terry's match," Trixie pointed out. "And I would have thought that would have been the most important match so far, as far as you're concerned! I mean, you have to fight the winner! Shouldn't you have been there to take notes?"

"I don't need to "take notes"," Dik Dik calmly replied. "And I thought Terry would have been victorious!"

Behind them, Eskara snorted, shaking his head as he began to chuckle to himself. Dik Dik narrowed his eyes, glaring at Eskara with barely restrained hatred.

"No, Terry lost," Trixie said sternly. "And he's in hospital. Didn't anyone tell you?"

"Right," Dik Dik agreed, still scowling at Eskara as he spoke. "Terry, right."

Trixie sighed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. She spun around to face the ring, squinting out to sea as something caught her eye in the water.

"Oh my God!" she said loudly enough for all the others to hear. "Guys, check it out!"

The girls, Dik Dik, Jaeger, Meat and Wally's family all moved to the wooden railing by the water's edge, looking out to sea at the shape moving rapidly towards them.

"It's the kid!" Meat rejoiced, jumping into the air and thrusting a fist up above his head. "I knew he wouldn't let me down!"

"Sure," Roxanne muttered, arching an eyebrow at Meat, who was teary-eyed with joy.

"C'mon Kid, get outta the water, quick!" Meat yelled.

Meat frowned to himself, then turned to look over at Vance McMadd.

"Hey McMadd, what's with locating the match here?" he called to the IWF chairman. "You've given Hydrozoa a huge advantage!"

"I have?" Vance called back, trying to sound innocent. "I just wanted to show off my new beach home!"

""Show off my beach home", my ass…" Meat grumbled.

"What was that?" Vance echoed.

"Nothing!" Meat sang, smiling sarcastically.

Kid got out of the water and made it into the ring, jumping up at one corner and pushing both fists into the air, grinning to himself as he awaited a rowdy cheer from the crowd. When little more than silence followed, Trixie began to slowly, and loudly, clap her hands.

"Woo!" she shouted, smirking to herself. "You go with your bad self, Kid Muscle!"

"Trixie, you're not helping!" Roxanne snapped at her.

"You're right," Trixie sighed, dropping her arms to her sides. "If I keep that up, people might actually start to think Kid has fans… Or should a say, a fan?"

Trixie laughed at her own joke, but was only joined by Eskara, who admittedly disliked Kid Muscle as much as anyone.

The bell rang for the start of the bout, and everyone took their seats, settling to watch the first semi-final match of the important tournament. The front row, which – from left to right – consisted of Eskara, Jaeger, Broken Junior, Meat, Dik Dik Van Dik, Kiki, Roxanne, Trixie, Mrs Tusket and Dorothy, watched the match in silence at first, each and every one of them engrossed in the fight.

"Mum?" Dorothy whispered, a short way into the match.

"What is it, Dorothy?" Mrs Tusket asked.

Dorthy beckoned her mother to come closer, and Mrs Tusket obligingly leaned over to move her ear closer to her daughter.

"Mum, can you ask the big red man why he has scars on his face?" Dorothy whispered to her mother.

"Now, Dorothy that would be rude!" Mrs Tusket whispered back.

"But mum, he's the man who put Terry in hospital!" Dorothy pointed out.

"Oh, alright then!" Mrs Tusket agreed.

Mrs Tusket nudged her elbow against Trixie, who recoiled away from her, screwing up her nose as she turned to face her.

"What are you doing?" Trixie hissed.

"I'm sorry to bother you, dear," Mrs Tusket apologised. "But Dorothy and I were just wondering about that man at the end of the row there, the man in red with the scars on his face."

Trixie turned her head, leaning forwards to look along the row at the last seat.

"Oh, you mean Eskara?" she said as she turned back to Wally's family.

Mrs Tusket turned to Dorothy, who nodded her agreement.

"Yes," Mrs Tusket confirmed, turning back to Trixie. "We wondered how he got those awful scars on his face?"

Trixie glanced at Eskara again, then turned back to Mrs Tusket, pouting and shrugging her shoulders.

"No idea," she admitted. "I don't think any of us know. Do you want me to ask him for you?"

"Oh no, I wouldn't want him to think we were being rude," Mrs Tusket quickly replied.

"I'll tell you what, I'll ask Roxanne if she knows!"

"Okay then."

And so Trixie asked Roxanne. Since Roxanne could not answer her, Roxanne told Trixie she would ask Kiki, since Kiki knew Eskara better. When Kiki told Roxanne she did not know, Roxanne suggested Kiki should ask Dik Dik.

So Kiki asked Dik Dik, who seemed confused. Kiki asked him to ask Meat, since Meat seemed to know the answers to everything wrestling related, and so Dik Dik passed the question on to Meat. Meat admitted he knew no more than Dik Dik did, and added that he was more concerned with Kid's welfare than such a matter. Dik Dik suggested Broken might know, since he had been at the Hercules Factory when Eskara had done his training. Meat agreed, and turned to Broken.

Meat and Broken exchanged words, and then both shrugged their shoulders. Broken turned to Jaeger, and again they exchanged hushed comments, each drawing a blank. Jaeger then turned to Eskara, his head tilted one side in confusion as he whispered his question to the giant bird.

"Eskara, may I ask you an unusual qvestion?" Jaeger began.

Eskara shifted his eyes to watch Jaeger side-on, his face darkening as he frowned down at his team-mate.

"I don't like da sound of dat…" Eskara darkly replied.

"Well, it is not for me, Eskara, I am asking for somevun else," Jaeger explained.

Eskara moved his eyes further up the row, spotting Kiki watching him in anticipation. He smiled to himself, moving his attention back to Jaeger, turning to face him fully.

"Sure, kid," he offered. "Ask away."

"Okay, here it is," Jaeger said, smiling amiably. "How does Mars have ze nerve to show his face?"

"What?" Eskara echoed, his face dropping.

"I vas told to ask you "how does Mars have ze nerve to show his face?"" Jaeger repeated.

"Who wants to know?" Eskara growled, grabbing a handful of Jaeger's shirt.

"I don't know!" Jaeger wailed. "Ze person at ze end of ze row!"

Jaeger pointed back along the row, and Eskara slowly lifted his eyes from Jaeger's face, scanning his way along the row. He passed Broken Junior, Meat, Dik Dik, Kiki, Roxanne, Trixie, Mrs Tusket, Dorothy…

"You…" Eskara growled, roughly releasing Jaeger as he fixed his eyes onto the person sat at the very end of the row.

Jaeger turned around, his action copied by each of the others in turn along the front row. But, even with all of the rest of the row watching him, the newly arrived Kevin Mask kept his eyes forward, and his attention glued to the fight between Kid Muscle and Hydrozoa.

Each of the others began to turn back to Eskara again, but they were soon distracted by the sound of Kid Muscle screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Kid, stay outta the water!" Meat yelled, leaping up and running over to the railing as Kid hung from the ring ropes, his face mere inches from the surface of the water.

As Kid saved himself from imminent danger, Roxanne got to her feet, turning to face her two friends.

"Come on, girls, let's show our support for Kid Muscle!" she hollered.

Trixie and Kiki stood up, and all three girls began to remove their outer garments, stripping down to their swimsuits.

Inside the ring, Kid thanked Wally for a sign to win the fight, clasping his hands by one cheek as he stared at the girls. Hydrozoa took advantage of his distraction, and knocked Kid clean out of the ring, where he fell right into the ocean.

"Help!" Kid wailed. "I can't swim!"

"Aw man," Roxanne groaned.

Hydrozoa pulled Kid back into the ring, revealing that he was covered in various aquatic plant life and sea creatures. Much to Kid's chagrin, Hydrozoa proceeded to lick the saltwater and collection of sea debris from Kid's body.

"Geddof me!" Kid yelped, swinging a fist at Hydrozoa in desperation.

Kid's fist became lodged in Hydrozoa's torso, and he was unable to pull it back out.

"Careful, Kid!" Meat warned. "Now that you've been in the water, he could absorb you, just like he did to Wally!"

Kid began to panic, and planted a foot onto Hydrozoa to give himself better leverage to free his hand; but his foot sank into Hydrozoa too. As much as Kid tugged and struggled, he was unable to free himself, and he was rapidly sinking into Hydrozoa.

"Kid Muscle!" Roxanne cried.

"Kid, no!" Meat called out.

"I zink perhaps now ze match is over, ja?" Jaeger said to Broken Junior.

"Nein, mein boy," Broken replied with a shake of his head. "You must never underestimate ze resourcefulness and ze power of ze Kinniku family. I am certain ze kinder vill find a vay out of zhis."

Jaeger nodded solemnly, turning his attention back to the match at hand. Kid was curled up into a ball inside Hydrozoa's body, and seemed to be about ready to pass out from fright; but instead, he began to urinate inside Hydrozoa.

"What are you doing?" Hydrozoa roared, looking down at himself as the yellow liquid began to fill up his insides.

"Everybody knows being under water makes you gotta go!" Kid innocently replied.

"Get away from me!" Hydrozoa shouted, ejecting Kid from his body.

Kid was hurled up into the air, falling back down to the mat below as Hydrozoa tried to shake himself off.

"Dat's cheating, Kid Muscle should be disqualified!" Eskara said quietly.

"Oh, and like you've never cheated before, Eskara…" Trixie sneered.

"Ah, shut your yap, ya loose lipped bimbo," Eskara shot back at her.

"Loose lipped?" Trixie echoed. "Well excuse me! You're the one who talks too much, birdface!"

"Hey, dat's cute an' all, but I wasn't talkin' about da lips on your face, bitch," Eskara calmly replied.

"What?"

Trixie rounded on Eskara, starting towards him. Dik Dik quickly leapt up to block her path, shaking his head vigorously at her as she looked up into his eyes.

"Somebody needs to put that guy in his place!" she explained.

"Then let me be one to do it at my match tomorrow," Dik Dik plainly answered her.

"Pff!" Trixie scoffed, forcing out laughter. "You? Win a match? Yeah, sure! Look, Dikky, just get out of my way and let me kick him in the-"

"Trixie no, do not lower yourself to his foul level of depravity, I beg of you."

Trixie slowly ran her eyes over Dik Dik, her lips peeled back from her teeth in disgust at what she saw.

"You are such a loser!" she added, before turning back to the ring, and rejoining her friends. "Hey Kiki."

Kiki leaned over the railing, looking past Roxanne at Trixie.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"You know what, I think you should stay away from both Dik Dik and Eskara," Trixie suggested. "They're both total losers!"

"Right…" Kiki said slowly, her face turning slightly pink as she realised both men must have heard Trixie's rather loud remark. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

"Yeah, do!" Trixie said, nodding her head firmly.

Kiki nodded her head back, then stood up straight again, trying to focus her attention on the ring; but another distraction caught the corner of her eye, and the three girls turned to see two nurses pushing a wheelchair each towards the front row seats.

Wally Tusket was in the first wheelchair and Terry Kenyon was in the second one.

"Terry!" Trixie called, running over to greet him.

Roxanne waited until Trixie had leapt onto Terry's wheelchair, landing across his lap, oblivious to the pain she was causing him, before turning to face Kiki.

"Trixie and Terry did it last night," Roxanne whispered.

"What?" Kiki echoed, searching Roxanne's eyes for an explanation.

"Trixie and Terry did it last night!" Roxanne repeated. "Y'know! They… They had sex."

"What? But… How? Terry was in hospital!"

"Yeah, they did it in the hospital bed."

"What? But Terry's in traction!"

"She was on top!"

"Oh!"

Kiki clapped a hand over her gaping mouth to hide her shock, and to help hide her mounting embarrassment. Roxanne simply nodded her head, before turning back to watch the approaching Muscle Leaguers.

Dik Dik walked over to greet them, helping Terry out of his wheelchair, where he was able to walk to his seat with the aid of a set of crutches one of the nurses had taken for him. Wally was too badly hurt to stand up, and so his wheelchair was positioned at the end of the seats. Dik Dik sat down between Kevin Mask and Terry, and the three began to discuss something quietly.

Trixie marched over to them, positioning herself directly in front of Terry, her hands planted on her hips, and a lost-little-girl pout on her face.

Roxanne turned back to the match, where she continued to scream for her man; but Kiki's attention was now fully engrossed in watching the audience. Almost every person in front of her intrigued her in one way or another, and she found it hard to move her eyes from any of them.

Eskara: who was he really?

Kevin Mask: what did he know about Eskara that was such a big secret?

Dik Dik Van Dik: had he really betrayed Terry? And why?

Trixie: did she actually have sex with Terry in a hospital, whilst he was so badly injured and so much of his body was hidden beneath mounds of bandages?

Kiki began to fall deeply into a daydream, her mind creating theory after theory about what was really going on in each of their lives; but she was soon brought sharply back to reality as Jaeger leapt up from his seat and began to cheer for Hydrozoa with sudden zest.

"Ah, shut-up!" Eskara scolded him.

But Jaeger carried on, cheering on his team-mate. Kiki turned back to the ring in time to see the two wrestlers crash to the mat, and Kid to stand up victorious.

"Yay, Kid!" Roxanne screamed in delight.

"Gee, I'm seeing less and less of these matches every time I go to one…" Kiki muttered to herself. "I really have to concentrate, and stop letting myself become so distracted all the time…"

Kiki's eyes wandered back to Eskara, who was still sitting in the same slouched position, his arms still folded across his broad chest; only now he was shaking his head and looking more than a little perturbed.

"Definitely less distractions…" Kiki muttered to herself, as she found she was unable to move her eyes from Eskara.

Eskara then stood up, shoving Jaeger to the ground as he passed him, ignoring Broken's curses which followed the uncalled-for assault. Eskara walked on down the row, heading straight for Kevin Mask, who stood facing him.

"Squealer," Eskara muttered, bashing his shoulder into Kevin's shoulder as he passed him.

Kevin staggered back from the unexpected impact, glaring after Eskara as he continued away from the ring.

"And what's up with Eskara and Kevin Mask?" Kiki muttered to herself. "I so have to find out…"

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** The Muscle League are at loggerheads with each other over Dik Dik's misdemeanour, and Eskara begins to think he has made a mistake… **Chapter 10 – Fall Out**.


	11. Fall Out

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ultimate Muscle, etc…

 **Recap:** Kiki shared her findings with the girls, Kid Muscle defeated Hydrozoa to advance to the final match, and Eskara got angry with Kevin Mask.

* * *

 **Chapter 10 – Fall Out**

Kiki winced as she watched Trixie finish another bottle of beer. Trixie had a terrible temper at the best of times, the last thing anyone needed right now was an angry, alcohol-fuelled, Trixie.

"I want to dance!" Trixie declared, slamming down the empty bottle onto the bar surface.

"I thought you'd never ask, Trixie!" Kid said with a grin, holding out a hand towards Trixie.

Trixie blinked at Kid, her face blank for a moment, before she suddenly screwed up her nose in anger, and slapped a hand across Kid's face with all her strength.

"Ow!" Kid wailed, touching a hand to his face. "What was that for?"

"For being such an idiot," Trixie growled at him. "And I said I want to dance!"

"Now Trixie, I done told you I'm no good for dancin' tonight," Terry nervously spoke up. "Maybe you oughta just dance with Kid."

"I don't want to dance with Kid," Trixie loudly replied, her back turned to Terry. "I want to dance with you, Terry!"

"I'll dance with you, Kid!" Dorothy offered, holding a hand up towards Kid.

"I don't wanna dance with you, you stink of fish!" Kid wailed. "And not even good fish! I mean, you stink of rotten, old fish!"

"Mind you manners!" Mrs Tusket snapped, slapping Kid across the face, her hand colliding with the same part of Kid's cheek as Trixie's blow had.

"Ow!" he complained. "What was that for?"

"For being such an idiot!" Mrs Tusket replied, planting her hands on her hips.

"I want to dance!" Trixie said again, her voice getting louder with every word she spoke.

"Trixie, Terry's not in a good way," Meat said, in an attempt to pacify the furious blonde. "But I'm sure one of the other guys would love to dance with you!"

Kid crept over to Meat's shoulder, and began to steal items of food from his manager's paper plate.

"I don't want to dance with anyone else," Trixie said stubbornly. "I want to dance with Terry!"

Kid began to wave two chicken legs behind Meat's head, stifling laughter as Meat remained serious, looking up at Trixie, oblivious to his little joke.

"Trixie, you might wanna lower your voice," Meat calmly suggested. "If security find out you've been drinking-"

"I'm a big girl!" Trixie interrupted him.

"But you're not old enough to be drinking," Meat whispered.

"I almost am…" Trixie muttered.

"Almost won't cut it in the eyes of the law, Trixie," Meat pointed out.

Kid gasped as a chicken leg slipped from his fingers and bounced off of Meat's head. Meat spun around angrily, finding Kid giggling to himself. Meat simply slapped a hand across Kid's face.

"Ow!" Kid yelped. "What was that for?"

"For being such an idiot!" Meat snapped.

"I hate those Generation X bastards!" Trixie wailed dramatically.

"Fear not, Trixie, I shall defeat that scoundrel Eskara tomorrow, and this whole ordeal will finally be over!" Dik Dik assured her.

"You'll do what now?" Trixie echoed, her eyes bulging as she turned towards him.

"I shall defeat Eskara-"

"If Terry couldn't beat him, I don't see how you can! You're a loser, remember?"

"I will win this match!"

"I hope you do!" Kid said, patting Dik Dik's shoulder and grinning gormlessly. "Cause if you don't, I'll have to fight Eskara myself!"

"That won't be necessary," Dik Dik said firmly. "I will be victorious!"

"Go, Double D!" Kid cheered, throwing his hands up into the air.

Dik Dik turned his head towards Kid, arching an eyebrow at him sceptically.

"What did you just call me?" he asked darkly.

"Double D!" Kid confirmed.

"My name is Dik Dik Van Dik!" Dik Dik reminded him.

"I know!" Kid replied. "Duh! Dik Dik. Double D!"

"What did you just say?" Roxanne asked, walking over to Kid.

"I'm calling Dik Dik Double D from now on!" Kid cheerfully answered her.

"Double D?" Roxanne echoed, folding her arms and eying him critically.

"It's not a reference to your bra, Roxanne!" Kid quickly defended himself.

"It better not be," Roxanne warned him.

"It's not!" Kid insisted. "I know you're not a double D! I broke into your locker at Vance's beach resort! And Trixie isn't a double D either. But Kiki is!"

All three girls stared at Kid in silent horror, their jaws hanging open.

"Trixie wears a padded bra!" Kid added, laughing as he pointed at the already infuriated Trixie.

"You ass!" Roxanne shrieked, slapping Kid across the face.

"Ow!" he complained. "What was that for?"

"For being such an idiot!" Roxanne roared.

"But it's the truth!" Kid whimpered.

He started to turn away from Roxanne, only to be slapped sharply again by Kiki.

"Ow!" he moaned. "What was that for?"

"For being such an idiot!" Kiki growled.

"But Double D started it!" Kid said, pointing at Dik Dik.

Dik Dik joined the others, and slapped Kid across the face.

"Ow!" Kid wailed. "What was-"

"If you still need to ask that question, obviously none of us have hit you hard enough yet," Dik Dik warned him.

"Oh," Kid muttered, hanging his head.

"C'mon, Kid, I need to get me a seat," Terry said. "Let's go find us a table."

"Okay…"

The others watched Kid and Terry walk off towards a free table, shortly to be followed by Meat. Trixie waited until all three were out of earshot before turning to Dik Dik.

"I know what you did to Terry, you asshole!" she snarled.

"What?" Dik Dik echoed, frowning in confusion.

"You sabotaged his fight against Eskara because you wanted to face Eskara yourself!" Trixie continued.

"What?" Dik Dik yelled. "How dare you make such an accusation against me, a Muscle Leaguer?"

"Because it's the truth!" Trixie yelled back at him. "Kiki saw you talking to Checkmate!"

Dik Dik turned towards Kiki, his face faltering for a brief moment.

"I can explain that…" he muttered, turning awkwardly back to Trixie.

"Well, we're all listening!" Trixie sneered sarcastically.

"I used Checkmate to help me create a method for ensuring Terry would lose to Eskara, because I want to fight Eskara myself," Dik Dik began.

"So you admit it was you?" Trixie cut in.

"I admit I intended to interfere in Terry's match, but I never actually went through with my plan," Dik Dik continued. "I realised how wrong and bad it was, and so I didn't do it. I couldn't do it. I don't know what happened to Terry, but I do know it wasn't my doing. I swear."

"I don't believe you," Trixie hissed. "You hired the help of a DMP member, and you hurt Terry."

"I didn't hurt Terry, you have to believe me!" Dik Dik insisted.

"If you didn't do it, then who did?" Roxanne asked him.

"And how could you even think about doing it?" Trixie added. "You've probably scarred Terry for life! You could have killed him with that stuff!"

"I know!" Dik Dik replied. "Which is why I didn't follow through with my plan!"

"This is all your fault, anyway!" Trixie yelled, pointing suddenly at Kiki.

"Me?" Kiki squeaked, pressing a hand against her chest.

"Dik Dik, I don't know why you bother," Trixie said to Dik Dik. "She's not even pretty!"

"Eskara is trying to take her from me, I wanted to destroy him with my own hands!" Dik Dik grumbled.

"Hey, Dik Dik, Kiki doesn't belong to you!" Roxanne argued back. "It's not like she's your wife, or something! And so what if she likes Eskara?"

"Who likes Eskara?" Jaeger asked, appearing beside the group.

"Kiki," Dik Dik, Roxanne and Trixie all said together.

Jaeger turned to Kiki, who sighed, hanging her head.

"Eskara likes Kiki too," Jaeger plainly said, shrugging his shoulders. "He vas talking about her earlier."

"He vas?" Roxanne echoed. "I mean, he was?"

"Ja," Jaeger confirmed with a nod of his head. "He said he vants her bad,"

"What?" the others echoed, all staring at Jaeger.

"Ja, it's true," Jaeger sighed. "But I have come here for you, Roxanne."

"Me?" Roxanne asked.

"Ja. I vas vondering if you vould like to dance vith me?"

"Well sure!"

Jaeger took Roxanne's hand and began to lead her towards the dancefloor, but Kid quickly ran at them, grabbing Roxanne away from Jaeger.

"Hey, get your own girlfriend, you weiner-eating freak!" Kid yelled at Jaeger.

"Kid, we were only going to dance!" Roxanne pointed out.

"I don't care!" Kid said. "No-one touches my Roxanne but me!"

"I zink maybe you have some issues, Kid Muscle," Jaeger said gently.

"Yeah, spoilt, only child issues…" Meat muttered as he re-joined the group.

"Hey!" Kid protested.

"What's goin' on over here?" Terry asked, hobbling back over to the group.

"Terry, you're supposed to be resting your legs!" Trixie cried.

"Are you boys fighting?" Mrs Tusket asked, reappearing with Dorothy at her side.

"He tried to steal my girlfriend!" Kid winged, pointing at Jaeger.

"He tried to kill my boyfriend!" Trixie cried, pointing at Dik Dik.

"Eskara is trying to steal my girlfriend!" Dik Dik wailed.

"Enough!" Meat roared. "Sheesh, what is with you guys! I swear, if this crap carries on much longer, I'm reinstating my ban on social activities!"

The others began to mutter and moan, but Meat yelled out again, silencing them.

"Stop!" he yelled. "Terry, Trixie, go sit down and calm down! Kid, let Roxanne have one dance with Jaeger! And Dik Dik, stop talking about it, and just ask Kiki out already!"

"She doesn't want me!" Dik Dik whined.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Kiki asked.

"No!" the others all yelled at her.

"Oh, whatever!" Kiki growled, turning her back on them.

Kiki marched across the dancehall, and out the door to the hallway beyond. She was heading for the front door, but on her way, she was stopped abruptly as she walked into someone exiting the toilets.

"Ah!" she shrieked, staggering back as the large man hurriedly zipped up his fly, shaking his head to regain his senses. "Kevin?"

"Hello," Kevin Mask answered her, straightening himself with an awkward cough.

Kiki watched him for a moment, an idea formulating in her mind. She quickly glanced over her shoulder to ensure she was not being followed, before taking three steps closer to him.

"Kevin, do you know Eskara?" she asked him quietly.

"I don't know anyone by the name of Eskara," Kevin carefully answered her.

"Eskara!" Kiki pressed. "The guy who defeated Terry? He was at Kid Muscle's match today, he spoke to you!"

"Did he?"

"Yes!"

"Oh."

Kiki waited for Kevin to expand on the subject, but he remained silent, standing so still, she began to wonder if he was even real.

"Kevin?" she whispered.

"Look, girls, it's Kevin Mask!"

Kiki turned at the sound of the voice, finding Eskara standing in the doorway, surrounded, once more, by a throng of giggling, simpering girls.

"Wow, Kevin!" one of them screamed.

Some of the girls ran towards Kevin, tugging at his arms and begging for autographs. Kiki lost interest in Kevin then, her attention turned to Eskara, standing amidst his bevy of admirers.

"Ladies, please excuse me," Eskara said quietly, slipping between them to walk up to Kiki.

The women moaned in disappointment that Eskara had left them, but soon shifted their preference to Kevin, who was trying his best to escape them by aiming himself for the toilet door again.

"Good evening, Kiki," Eskara said politely, bowing his head.

"Good evening, Eskara," Kiki replied, grinning up at him.

"Would you care to dance?" he asked, holding out a hand towards the door leading back into the dancehall.

Kiki leaned past Eskara, peering back into the dancehall. By the bar, Roxanne, Trixie, Kid, Meat, Jaeger, Dik Dik, Terry, Dorothy and Mrs Tusket were all still standing arguing, and the last thing she wanted was to get dragged back into their disagreement.

"I'm sorry, Eskara, I don't feel like dancing," she said, her smile fading. "I was just leaving."

"Leaving?" Eskara echoed quietly.

Eskara looked past Kiki at the front door, looking slightly confused for a moment, before one corner of his mouth began to curl into his cheek to form a devious smirk on his face.

"I'll walk you home, sweetheart," he offered, shifting his golden eyes to Kiki.

"Oh, thanks!" Kiki replied with a smile, glad to have the extra time with him.

Eskara held out his arm towards Kiki, and she looped her arm through it with a smile, allowing him to guide her outside.

"So, do you live far from here?" Eskara asked, glancing around the night streets as he spoke.

"Not really," Kiki casually replied. "I usually go through the park, it's a much quicker way back."

"The park, huh?" Eskara asked, grinning widely. "Do we pass any shops before da park?"

"Shops?" Kiki echoed. "Um… I guess we do. It depends what sort of shop you're looking for, I guess."

"I was thinkin' like a pharmacy," Eskara replied.

"A pharmacy? Oh, are you not well?"

Kiki frowned up at Eskara in concern, but he returned her gesture with a look of confusion.

"I don't think we do pass a pharmacy, but I know where there is one nearby," she offered. "Just around the corner from here."

"Okay…"

Kiki walked on, gazing around herself as though in a daydream, completely oblivious to Eskara, who was staring down at her, his face contorted in confusion and frustration.

"There it is!" she said as they reached the end of the road. "And it's still open!"

Kiki turned to grin up at Eskara, who forced a smile, nodding his head.

"Right," he said, starting across the street.

Kiki skipped along at his side, thanking him as he held the door open for her to precede him into the pharmacy. Kiki walked straight into the shop, heading towards the back corner. Eskara made to follow her, before something to one side caught his eye. Glancing once more at Kiki as she walked away from him, he turned to the front counter, walking over to a section lined with a group of teenage boys.

The boys fell silent as they saw Eskara approach, all staring up at him in awe.

"What you lookin' at, huh?" Eskara growled at them.

"N-nothing!" one squeaked, pushing his friends away as he tried to escape from Eskara's path.

"Den move, before I shove your friend's head so far up your ass, your mamma won't know where you end, and he begins," Eskara warned, his voice quiet and laced with menace.

The boys screamed and ran out of the shop, leaving Eskara chuckling to himself. He turned back to the shelf they had been loitering around, rubbing his hands together as he surveyed the selection of condoms on display.

He began to hum a tune to himself as he helped himself to a selection of boxes, studying each one in turn. Once he had narrowed his choice done to three different varieties, Eskara began to look for Kiki to ask her for her opinion on the matter. He turned in a complete circle on the spot, his face darkening when he failed to locate her.

Eskara walked along the aisle towards the back of the shop, the area he had last seen Kiki in. As he neared the children's section, Kiki suddenly popped up, holding a brightly coloured plastic bottle in one hand. Eskara stopped short, tilting his head to one side as he began to wonder just what she was doing.

Unaware that Eskara was watching her, Kiki unscrewed the lid of the bottle, pulling out a plastic wand. She dunked it into the bottle a few times, then held it up, blowing a bubble through the hoop at the end.

Eskara twitched nervously as he watched her touch a finger to the bubble, bursting it in midair, smiling to herself with a childlike innocence. He looked down at the boxes of condoms in his hand, then back at Kiki.

Eskara was beginning to think Kiki's idea of a "walk through the park in the dark" was slightly different to his interpretation of such behaviour.

"Eskara!" Kiki yelped, hurriedly replacing the lid to the bottle. "Did you get what you needed?"

"Um…"

Eskara looked down at the boxes again, then back up at Kiki, who was watching him expectantly, her large, bright eyes burning into him suddenly.

"Sure," he lied, closing a fist around the boxes.

"Okay."

Kiki bent down to replace the bottle, and Eskara quickly shoved the condom boxes into his belt, glancing around to ensure he had not been spotted by security. As Kiki stood up again, he held out a hand towards her, smiling innocently. Kiki took his hand and smiled back at him, walking out of the pharmacy.

As they reached the door, Eskara pushed it open, standing back to allow Kiki out ahead of him. He turned towards the clerk behind the counter, who was holding out a hand towards him.

"Not a word," Eskara growled.

The clerk turned deathly white and nervously shook his head. Eskara stepped outside after Kiki, only to find she was looking up at him questioningly.

"What was that about?" she asked, pointing over her shoulder.

"Ah, nothin'," Eskara assured her. "Let's go, yeah?"

"Okay."

Kiki hooked her arm back through Eskara's, and the two walked on towards the entrance to the park.

"Hey, I just remembered something!" Kiki said as they walked into the park.

"What's dat?" Eskara asked, only semi-interested in what she had to say.

"Well, Dik Dik attacked you yesterday, and now you don't have a mark on your face!" Kiki continued.

"Oh…" Eskara muttered, rubbing a hand against the side of his face that Dik Dik had torn open the day before. "Lucky me, huh?"

"Wow, that's amazing!" Kiki gushed.

"Say, Kiki, can we take dis path?"

Kiki stopped walking, looking down the path they had been heading along. The path was lit by a line of small, solar-powered lamps along one side. The other path – the one Eskara was pointing down – was pitch dark, and lead into an area of wild and unkempt bushes.

"It's quicker this way," Kiki explained, pointing along the lit path.

"But dis way looks more fun," Eskara said, winking at her.

"But-ah!"

Kiki yelped as Eskara grabbed onto her hand and dragged her off down the darker path. She stumbled after him, looking back over her shoulder as the lights of the city behind them began to fade. The shadows of the overgrown trees and bushes soon swallowed them up, and when Kiki turned back to Eskara, she could barely see him through the darkness.

"Why did you want to come this way?" she asked him, her voice hushed.

Eskara paused, looking around himself awkwardly for a moment, before smiling as though an idea had just occurred to him.

"Da stars!" he said, pointing up at the sky.

"The stars?" Kiki repeated, looking up at the clear night sky above their heads.

"Yeah, it's better for lookin' at da stars here, sweetheart," he continued. "No light pollution."

"Wow, the stars are beautiful tonight!"

"Oh yeah."

Kiki watched the sky above her head, her mouth slightly open as she scanned through constellations she recognised, trying to remember their names. She almost forgot where she was and who she was with until she felt Eskara slip his hand around her neck.

Kiki quickly lowered her eyes to Eskara as he stepped closer to her, tilting her head back as he lowered his lips to hers.

Kiki closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Eskara's shoulders, losing herself in his kiss. She found herself moving closer into his embrace as she felt the welcoming warmth of his body from the cold of the night.

Kiki secretly wished the moment would last forever, but all too soon Eskara pulled away from her, a confused look flashing over his features that worried her. She opened her mouth to ask him if he was alright, but he started to move towards her again, and so she stopped herself, closing her eyes in anticipation of another kiss; but it never came.

Kiki slowly opened her eyes, finding Eskara standing in front of her, his hands on her waist, and his eyes wandering lower over her body. The lower his eyes fell, the more confused and worried he seemed to look.

"Eskara?" she said softly.

"Huh?" he blurted, his eyes snapping back to hers.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

"Sure," he lied, forcing a smile.

"Are you worried about your fight with Dik Dik tomorrow?"

"Fight wid Dik Dik… Yeah, I'm worried about da fight, dat's it."

Kiki slowly nodded her head, but she knew he was lying. She wondered what it was that he was hiding from her – was it perhaps something that Kevin Mask knew? But Kiki decided that whatever Eskara was really worried about, he would sort through it himself. He seemed to her like a strong and decisive person who would have no trouble dealing with even the most complex of problems.

"It's really cold out here," she said, shivering as she was reminded of the cold in the absence of Eskara's closeness. "Let's go back to my place, you can come in for a bit if you want."

Eskara brightened a little at Kiki's offer, and nodded his head.

"Okay, yeah," he said. "Let's go."

Kiki hooked her arm through Eskara's again, and they continued on through the park.

"You know, I would offer you my coat if you're cold, but as you can see, I ain't got one," Eskara said as they reached the end of the overgrown path and rejoined the main path.

"That's okay, it's not far to go now," Kiki replied with a smile.

"So, do you walk through dis park on your own in da dark?" Eskara asked.

"All the time, yeah," Kiki casually replied.

"What are you, nuts?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Kiki, a pretty young girl like you shouldn't be walkin' around bushes in da dark on your own! Anything could happen to you!"

"But I always walk through this park. I have done since I was like three years old!"

"Well you shouldn't! It's dangerous!"

"But this is a really nice neighbourhood."

Eskara frowned down at Kiki, but she continued to look at him with wide and innocent eyes. He sighed, smiling in spite of himself.

"I guess maybe I'm just a little too suspicious," he said. "Five years at da academy does dat to a man."

"Five years at the academy?"

Eskara's face dropped, and for a long time, the two walked in silence.

"Were you at the Hercules Factory for five years?" Kiki eventually asked, as they turned up her street.

"Um…" Eskara began, his face darkening slightly.

"I guess they had nowhere to assign you, so you had to stay, huh?" Kiki asked.

"Yeah…" Eskara slowly answered. "I uh… I completed my trainin' early, and I sorta stayed on as a teacher."

"As a teacher? Wow, you must be really good!"

"I guess so, yeah."

"Well, this is my house here. Do you want to come in for a coffee?"

Eskara cocked a half smirk at Kiki's proposition, but as he met her eyes, he quickly realised she had literally meant that offer as it was.

Eskara's face straightened, and he slowly looked up at the homely two-storey house behind Kiki.

"Come on, my mum and dad are out tonight, it will just be you and me!" Kiki encouraged him.

"Really?" he asked, dropping his eyes back to hers, unable to suppress his smile.

"Yeah! Come on!"

"Okay."

Kiki took a hold of Eskara's hand and pulled him up to the front door, releasing him to fish her keys out of her handbag. She grinned at him as she unlocked the door, before opening it and stepping inside. Eskara followed her in, and she closed the door, walking along the hall to a door at the very end of it. Eskara started after her, stopping as he reached the bottom of the staircase.

He tilted his head back, looking up the stairs at the floor above.

"How do you take your coffee?" Kiki called to him.

"Huh?" he responded, snapping out his reverie. "Oh, uh… Say, Kiki, don't bother wid da coffee, I'm not really in da mood for coffee right now."

"Oh. Okay."

Eskara waited as Kiki's heels clicked across the kitchen, then she reappeared in the doorway.

"Do you want to see my room?" she asked him.

Eskara smiled slyly.

"Yeah, sweetheart, dat'd be great."

"Okay, it's this way."

Kiki pulled off her shoes and began to scale the stairs, followed closely by Eskara. She lead him into a small room off of the upstairs landing, walking into it in darkness. Eskara paused in the doorway, wondering why she had not bothered to put on the light; but then he noticed she was looking out the window at the stars.

"The sky is so beautiful tonight," she sighed.

"But not as beautiful as you, sweetheart," Eskara said with a smile, flicking the lightswitch.

Kiki spun around as the light came on, slightly alarmed to see Eskara's reaction to his surroundings. His eyes bulged for a moment, and his face turned pale again; and she could have sworn he physically jumped at what he saw. Kiki watched him curiously as he slowly surveyed the room, frowning as his throat slowly moved with an audible and elongated gulp.

"Eskara?" she said, taking a step towards him. "Do you want to sit down?"

Eskara frowned at Kiki's hand as she held it out towards her bed, then turned to face her.

"I don't think dat's such a good idea…" he said slowly, touching a hand nervously to his belt.

"Oh…"

Kiki turned to her bed, her face turning pink as she spotted the pile of plush toys littering the surface of her duvet. She began to think the toys were what had put Eskara off wanting to come any closer, but as she turned back to him, he appeared to be looking at something else. Kiki followed the direction his eyes were fixed, finding her shelf lined with her ballet trophies.

Kiki sighed to herself as she suddenly realised how immature and girly her room actually was. It was no wonder poor Eskara felt so out of place.

Kiki turned back to Eskara, but again his eyes had moved to another point in the room, and his face was even more contorted this time. Kiki quickly followed his eyes to a poster she had hanging by her wardrobe.

"I only bought that because I think he's a good wrestler," she hurriedly explained. "Not because I have a crush on him."

Eskara slowly turned to Kiki, nodding his head slowly.

"I guess it just don't feel right being here when I'm bein' watched by Kevin Mask…" he muttered, glancing at the poster of Kevin again as he spoke.

"I'm sorry," Kiki said, hanging her head.

"Oh no, sweetheart, don't get upset," Eskara quickly said. "I should probably get goin' now, anyways. I gotta get some trainin' done for my fight tomorrow. I hear ol' Van Dik won Best Wrestler at da Hercules Factory, so I guess I'm gonna have my work cut out for me, huh?"

"Yeah. I'll be watching you. Kid got us front row seats again."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow Kiki."

"Okay. I'll show you out."

Kiki slipped past Eskara, walking back down the stairs. Eskara paused in the doorway of her bedroom for a moment, taking one last look at his surroundings, silently shaking his head to himself as he did so, before following after Kiki.

"Good luck tomorrow, Eskara," she said, as she opened the front door for him.

"I don't need luck to win, but thanks anyways," Eskara said, winking at her.

"I know that Dik Dik is my friend and all, but I really want you to win, Eskara," Kiki said, turning away from him slightly as she began to blush again. "If you lose, you'll be sent to another planet, and I want you to stay here."

Eskara scratched at the back of his head nervously, looking up at the sky for a moment as he tried to think of how to answer her.

"Well hey, I hope I win too," he eventually said. "Good night, Kiki."

"Good night. And good luck."

Kiki stretched up onto her toes and gently kissed Eskara, dropping away from him again. She touched a finger to the tip of his nose, smiling at him sweetly.

"Good night, sweetheart," he whispered, taking her hand to his lips and kissing her knuckles.

Kiki watched him leave, waiting until he was completely out of sight before closing the door. She then thumped her back against the door, sliding to the ground with a dreamy smile plastered over her face.

"I hope you stay here forever, Eskara…" she whispered, sighing to herself at the thought.

She closed her eyes, her mind starting play out the concept of Eskara remaining on Earth; but Kiki's dreams were abruptly brought to a halt as the hall phone began to ring. She quickly stood up and hurried over to the small table the phone sat on, grabbing up the receiver.

"Hello?" she said.

"Kiki? It's Roxanne," Roxanne's voice answered her.

"Oh, hey Roxanne! What's up?"

"Man, I'm glad you answered the phone, Kiki, I've been looking everywhere for you! Kiki, you were wrong about Dik Dik! It's all been a huge misunderstanding! I know it's too late tonight, but promise me that tomorrow, before he goes into his fight with Eskara, you'll talk to Dik Dik."

Kiki thought over Roxanne's proposal for a moment, screwing up her face as she began to sway towards not doing as Roxanne asked.

"Well…" she said slowly.

"Please, Kiki!" Roxanne begged. "The poor guy is breaking his heart, promise me you'll talk to him! I'm not asking you to like him, I'm not even asking you to believe what he has to say, just promise me you'll go and hear him out, yeah?"

Kiki sighed as Roxanne's voice grew more desperate and pleading in her ear.

"Okay, I'll go see him before the match starts," Kiki agreed.

"Thanks, Kiki!" Roxanne said cheerfully.

"But I have to get to bed now, my dad won't let me out for tomorrow's fight if he comes home and finds me still dressed and wondering about the house!" Kiki added.

"Y'know, Kiki, you are 18 now…" Roxanne said quietly, after a short pause.

"Yeah, but as long as I'm still living at home, I have to respect my parents' wishes," Kiki replied.

"Man, you're such a stickler for the rules, Kiki!" Roxanne laughed. "Sometimes I wish I had your self-control!"

Kiki laughed, shaking her head.

"Good night, Roxanne."

"Good night, Kiki."

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Dik Dik explains himself to Kiki, Broken mocks Eskara, and Kiki is forced to choose between the scarlet gazelleman and the crimson birdman as they go head to head in the second, and final, semi-final match-up! **Chapter 11 – Decision Time**.


	12. Decision Time

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ultimate Muscle. Although I probably should – I've been dreaming about Mars all my life…

 **Recap:** Dik Dik denied sabotaging Terry's match and Eskara realised he has perhaps mistaken Kiki's intentions.

* * *

 **Chapter 11 – Decision Time**

Kiki tried to keep the image of Roxanne's pleading face in her mind as she walked the halls of the arena in search of Dik Dik's changing room. She really, really did not want to speak to Dik Dik, least of all right before he went into battle against Eskara; but Roxanne had made her promise to do it, and she could not back out of a promise.

Frankly, there was no way in Kiki's mind that Dik Dik could possibly be innocent; but she was also curious to hear what his side of the story was. Whatever it was, it must be quite convincing for Roxanne to believe it, she thought to herself.

As Kiki eventually reached the door to Dik Dik's room she paused, letting out a long sigh before knocking on the door.

"Come in!" Dik Dik called to her.

Kiki opened the door, poking her head around it, finding Dik Dik standing with his back to her, a towel hanging around his neck.

"Dik Dik?" she said.

"Kiki?" he echoed, turning around to face her. "You came to see me!"

"Of course!"

Kiki stepped into the room, closing the door behind herself.

"Roxanne said I should come and hear what you have to say," she explained.

"Roxanne, of course…" Dik Dik muttered. "Well, anyway, it turns out there was a misunderstanding in the locker rooms on the day of Terry's fight with Eskara. I left the acid lying around, and Jaeger mistook it for some sort of cleaning fluid. He poured some into a bucket of water, and gave it to Terry to clean his boots with. Luckily, the concentration of acid to water was low, hence why the damage to Terry has been minimal."

"How could Jaeger mistake the acid for what it really was?" Kiki asked, frowning sceptically. "I mean, there are warnings all over the bottle!"

"Although our German friend can speak perfect English, he has never learned to read the language."

"Oh. Well, I guess that makes sense."

"But I can see it has still not redeemed me in your eyes."

Kiki stared blankly at Dik Dik, wondering what he meant. She watched as his face dropped, and his ears drooped. He looked thoroughly miserable, but she could not understand why.

"I see you have already made your choice," he sighed.

"Made my choice? What do you mean?" she asked.

"You have already chosen Eskara over me," Dik Dik plainly replied. "It doesn't matter to you now that I have always liked you, that I have always been good to you. You prefer the big man. I thought you were a nice girl, Kiki. I thought you, unlike all the other girls on this planet, would appreciate a gentleman, but obviously I was wrong. If it's a rough and ready tough guy you want, go back to Eskara. I hope you are both happy together. But if he ever hurts you, I will kill him."

"Dik Dik, I had no idea you felt this way about me-"

"Don't try to spare my feelings now. I made my affection for you very clear long ago. You weren't interested then, and you are obviously even less interested now. Just do me a favour. Don't cheer too loudly for that jerk today. I don't think I could stand to hear it."

"Okay."

Kiki started towards Dik Dik, but he raised a hand to halt her progress.

"Just go," he said softly, his eyes lowered to the ground.

"Okay."

Kiki walked to the door, pulling it open, then turning back to Dik Dik. He was watching her, but as she met his eyes, he quickly turned away from her. Sighing to herself, Kiki walked out the room, closing the door behind herself again. As she started down the hall, she heard Dik Dik slam a fist into the punch-bag in his room.

She sighed, shaking her head. All she could do now was find the girls, find her seat, and wait.

* * *

"Eskara!" Jaeger shouted, thumping a fist on his team-mate's door.

"Jaeger, let's go!" Broken Junior said to him. "Eskara vill be fine, he does not need you now."

"But I vant to vish him good luck in his match, Herr Broken!" Jaeger pleaded. "If he loses zhis match, ve vill all be sent back to ze Hercules Factory!"

Broken sighed, nodding his agreement. Jaeger moved one ear to the door, listening carefully. Inside, he could hear that Eskara was training; but he seemed to be training a little too vigorously for a man about to fight a top-ranking Muscle League Chojin warrior. Jaeger was beginning to worry Eskara would tire himself out before the match even started. He was hitting the punch-bag so hard, Jaeger was certain Eskara could not hear him knocking on the door over all the noise.

"I'm going in," Jaeger announced, placing a hand on the doorhandle.

"Jaeger!" Broken warned, grabbing Jaeger's wrist. "Are you sure zhat is vise? Perhaps Eskara vants to be left alone to train?"

"But I am vorried for Eskara, Herr Broken!" Jaeger insisted.

"Alright zhen, but I vill come vith you."

Jaeger nodded, and Broken released his wrist, allowing him to open the door. Jaeger cautiously crept into the room, followed closely by his trainer, who stood straight and tall, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Eskara?" Jaeger said, as he sighted his team-mate.

Eskara was standing in the middle of the room in front of the punch-bag, his fists balled and raised, and his legs bent in a fighting stance. He was only wearing his headdress and his shorts, attacking the punch-bag with his bare hands and feet.

Jaeger opened his mouth to talk again, but stopped in shock as Eskara began to unleash another round of vicious attacks on the punch-bag. Jaeger watched in awe as Eskara punched, chopped and kicked mercilessly at the bag, lines of sweat cascading over the taut muscles of his bare chest. He looked furious; even angrier than Jaeger had ever seen him look.

Jaeger started to walk up to Eskara, but Broken slapped a hand down onto Jaeger's shoulder, grabbing hold of him to stop him. Jaeger turned to Broken for an explanation, but his master merely shook his head.

Jaeger turned back to Eskara, his concern growing as Eskara began to growl and groan with every impact his fists and feet made with the weighted bag. Jaeger began to fidget awkwardly, silently wishing Broken would release him so that he could stop Eskara; but Eskara was forced to stop his training when the bottom of the bag sudden tore off, and the sand filling flooded to the ground, gathering in a pile at his bare feet.

"Damn!" Eskara roared, smacking his fists together.

"Eskara, vhat are you doing?" Jeager asked.

Eskara turned to face him, his golden eyes glowing beneath the shade of his heavy scowl.

"What does it look like I'm doin', weiner-breath?" Eskara growled, his voice quiet and threatening. "I'm doin' what you should have been doin' before your match wid da gazelleman. I'm trainin'."

"But Eskara, you are tiring yourself out-"

"Hey, don't talk to me about tirin' myself out! And how da hell did you get in here, huh? Did I say you could come in here? Ain't you ever heard of knockin' on closed doors?"

"I did knock, Eskara! You didn't hear me because you vere-"

"Shut-up, and get your scrawny little German ass outta my locker room. Now!"

"But Eskara-"

"Now, Jaeger!"

"Come, Jaeger, let us leave him be," Broken said, patting Jaeger's shoulder.

Broken turned away then, and began to leave the room; but Jaeger was not convinced.

"Eskara, your match is starting soon, you're not even dressed!" he added.

"Oh, I get it now!" Eskara snarled, stalking closer to Jaeger. "You just came in here to look at me, is that it?"

"No!" Jaeger yelped, holding up both hands in submission, cowering back as Eskara's shadow fell over him.

"I already told you, Nazi boy, I don't swing dat way!"

Broken turned around sharply and began to run back into the room, but was not quick enough to stop Eskara sinking a well-aimed fist into Jaeger's face. Jaeger fell back hard, and Broken was just able to catch him before he hit the ground.

"I zhink you need to get some anger management, boy!" Broken cursed Eskara.

"Yeah, yeah, you always say dat, old man!" Eskara said dismissively. "What da hell do you know, huh? You're just a dried-out old has-been. You're nothin' but talk, old man!"

"Don't speak to Herr Broken zhat vay!" Jaeger yelled, leaping up and charging up for a Red Rain of Baron attack.

As he swung his hand down, Eskara caught his elbow in one hand, effortlessly avoiding the blow. He then twisted Jaeger's arm around his back and slammed him into the concrete wall.

"Give it a rest, loser," he growled into Jaeger's ear. "You had your chance to fight, and you blew it. Now get outta my way, and let me finish dis."

Eskara roughly released Jaeger, stepping back from him. Jaeger slowly turned around, rubbing his arm and staring up at Eskara with a hurt expression on his face.

"Come on, mein boy!" Broken commanded. "Ve must leave Eskara to fight on!"

"Ja," Jaeger sighed, nodding his head. "Vell, good luck, Eskara."

Jaeger took a hold of Eskara's hand in both of his, smiling up at him. Eskara's eyes narrowed as he looked down at Jaeger, and, after a brief pause, he tugged as his hand, forcing Jaeger forwards towards him. He then caught the unsuspecting Jaeger with a vicious clothesline, knocking him down hard to the concrete floor below.

Eskara made to grab Jaeger up to continue his assault, but Broken leapt in between them. Eskara wasted no time in punching at Broken, but Broken was prepared for his attack, and quickly raised his arms to block the blow.

Eskara began to punch at Broken's head and torso, causing Broken to stagger back as he tried desperately to block every blow.

Jaeger struggled to his feet as he saw his trainer back into the steel lockers with a thud.

"Herr Broken!" he cried.

Broken quickly hit out at Eskara, managing to grab onto one of Eskara's arms and twist it around. He quickly kicked Eskara down to the ground, causing him to land hard on his knees. He kept Eskara's arm twisted up his back, stepping one foot onto Eskara's shoulder to hold him down.

"I have zhis situation under control, mein boy," Broken assured Jaeger. "Go on to ze ring, I vill join you shortly."

"But Herr Broken, vhat about Eskara?" Jaeger asked.

"Fear not, mein boy, I vill take care of him," Broken said confidently. "Now go."

Jaeger nodded nervously, then hurried out of the room. Once the door had shut behind him, Broken released Eskara's arm, then shoved his shoulder down with his foot, watching with a smug smile as Eskara landed facedown on the concrete.

Eskara groaned to himself, curling his fingers around against the ground, forming his hands into fists.

"Give it up, you vill never vin zhis battle vith your fists, you fool!" Broken warned him, pacing back and forth by the remains of the punch-bag.

"You don't know what you're talkin' about, old man!" Eskara growled, pushing himself up slowly.

"Ja, I do, actually," Broken confidently replied. "You are not training in here. You are fighting. You are fighting a var against yourself."

"Ah, what would you know, huh?" Eskara dismissed, standing up and scowling at Broken.

"I am zhinking zhat all your life, you have been a selfish creature, Eskara," Broken calmly said. "You are arrogant, selfish and cruel. You don't vork for vhat you vant. You don't vork for anyzhing. If you vant somezhing, you just take it. Am I right?"

"So what if you are?"

"And now zhere is somezhing zhat you really, really vant, somezhing zhat you could just take… But you did not. You couldn't do it, could you, Eskara?"

"I don't know what you're talkin' about old man, but I do know dat if you don't get your ass outta my locker room right now, I'm gonna redecorate da walls wid your blood, capisce?"

"I vatched you at ze Hercules Factory, Eskara. And I have vatched you since your graduation. You never had a problem vith vomen before. Vhy is this von so different? Perhaps you are in love vith her…"

"No!"

Eskara slammed a fist out to one side, his knuckles denting into the metal of the locker with a loud bang. The locker swung back, teetering on its edge for a moment, before slamming to the ground. Broken watched it with a smirk, ceasing his pacing to watch Eskara, his arms folded.

"Are you stupid as well as ugly, old man?" Eskara snarled, waving his fist as Broken. "I'm not in love wid her! I'm not in love wid anybody! I don't love! I hate! I hate you! I hate Jaeger! I hate Dik Dik Van Dik, I hate Kid Muscle, I hate Kevin Mask – hell, I hate da whole damn Muscle League!"

"Hm," Broken muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Don't be stupid!" Eskara snapped at him. "And stay da hell outta my business! What I do outside of da ring has nothin' to do wid you, or anybody else!"

"Ja…"

Broken walked over to the fallen locker, thumping the heel of one boot onto the lower door. The top door (the one Eskara had dented) popped open, and Broken approached it. Eskara faltered slightly, craning his neck to see what it was that Broken was looking at inside his locker.

"What you doin', old man?" he asked nervously.

"I say, look at zhis!" Broken said with a smile, leaning over to retrieve something from inside the locker.

"Hey, get outta my stuff!" Eskara barked.

Broken smiled slyly as he stood up again, one hand clutching onto something. Eskara's face slowly dropped as he realised what it was.

"What, now I'm not allowed to carry condoms wid me?" he asked, trying to move away from the subject he next suspected Broken of raising. "I'm not at da Hercules Factory any more. Dey can't ban me from havin' sex now."

"But by ze looks of zhings, you have chosen not to pursue the activity yourself…" Broken quietly pointed out, pointing a finger at the sealed boxes in his hand.

"Y'know, you are really pushin' me, old man!" Eskara warned. "My private life has got nothin' to do wid you, or anybody! Now get the hell outta my locker room!"

"Just admit you are in love vith ze little green-haired girl," Broken simply replied, dropping the boxes back into Eskara's locker.

"I'm not in love wid anyone!"

"Until you admit it, zhis var vill never end, boy. You vill constantly be in conflict vizhin yourself. Zhis vill ruin your chances of victory, it vill ruin your career as a wrestler, and it vill ruin you. Admit it. Even a big strong man like you has his veaknesses…"

"Get outta my locker room, you sick bastard!"

Broken shrugged his shoulders, stepping over the locker and walking towards the door.

"Ja, I am leaving you now," he said as he opened the door to leave. "But ze demons in your mind vill haunt you forever until you can admit your own faults and face up to zhem like a real man."

"You…!"

Broken slammed the door shut between himself and Eskara, leaving Eskara alone in the demolished locker room. Eskara snarled in rage, turning around to survey the remains of the room.

"Dumb bastard…" he muttered, kicking at the pile of sand from the punch-bag. "I'll show him love…"

* * *

Kiki sighed as she watched Dik Dik step into the ring. The response he got from the audience was fairly poor, meaning Eskara was obviously the crowd favourite in this match-up. She felt so guilty and so sorry for Dik Dik; but at the same, she was furious at him for using a member of the DMP to help him sabotage Terry's match, and she was furious at him for telling everyone that she was his girlfriend.

Kiki turned her head from the ring as she felt a hand on her shoulder, finding Roxanne smiling at her.

"Why the long face?" she asked softly.

"I'm just thinking," Kiki replied.

"Thanks for talking to Dik Dik," Roxanne said.

"Yeah."

"Where did you get to last night, anyway?"

"I went home."

"I walked through the park looking for you, I never saw you."

"I went a different way."

"A different way?"

"Eskara wanted to look at the stars."

"Eskara? You went home with Eskara? Kiki, are you insane?"

"He was really sweet."

"Sweet? Kiki, he's a man… He's… You do know he's a lot older than Kid Muscle, and Terry, and Wally, and Dik Dik… He's even older than Kevin Mask! You have to be careful!"

"I don't think he liked my bedroom."

"Your bedroom? Jeez, Kiki, you took him into your bedroom? What the hell were you thinking? What if you dad had caught you both in there? Oh my God, Kiki! Did you… Did you and him… Well, y'know…"

"No."

"Oh."

"I don't think he liked my Kevin Mask poster."

"What?"

Kiki turned her head as Eskara's music began to play, and the crowd exploded in applause.

"Kiki, your bedroom still looks like it did ten years ago," Roxanne muttered. "Kiki, I wouldn't even take a goofball like Kid Muscle into a bedroom like your's, let alone a grown man like Eskara!"

"What?"

Kiki felt her insides churn as she realised just how stupid she had been the night before. She sighed to herself, burying her face into her hands. She wanted to cry, but the sound of the bell ringing drew her attention back to the ring, and she watched in tense horror as Dik Dik charged at Eskara, attacking him with a flurry of punches.

Eskara blocked Dik Dik's attacks with ease, even smiling to himself as he let Dik Dik wear himself out with his pointless assault. Eskara held on for a moment longer, before ducking under Dik Dik's arms, and grabbing him from behind, putting Dik Dik into a choke sleeper hold. Due to Eskara's superior size and strength, Dik Dik began to lose consciousness, rapidly growing weaker.

Kid Muscle, Terry, Wally, Roxanne, Trixie, Meat, Dorothy and Mrs Tusket began screaming for Dik Dik to fight back, but their cheers were drowning in the overwhelming audience response for Eskara; whose popularity had sky-rocketed since he had stepped out of his previous disguise.

Broken, who was sat next to Kiki, stood up quietly, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted loudly to the ring.

"Dik Dik, mein boy, you must take him to ze air, zhat is his biggest veakness!"

Kiki's jaw dropped as she watched Broken, and Jaeger jumped to his feet at Broken's other side, demanding to know why his trainer was cheering for Dik Dik. But Broken did not answer his protégé, he merely smiled to himself as Eskara's face twisted in anger.

Dik Dik bent his legs down low, the propelled himself and Eskara into the air, elbowing Eskara in the gut to break the hold, then swinging his leg around to kick Eskara to the mat with greater velocity. Eskara landed hard, facedown on the mat. Dik Dik landed next to him, on his feet; but Eskara was getting up again already. Dik Dik quickly aimed a roundhouse kick at Eskara's head, but Eskara fell back away from his foot, catching himself with his coattails, which had turned stiff at his back.

Dik Dik frowned in confusion as he staggered to regain his balance, but Eskara began to laugh to himself. He stood up sharply and spun around, slicing Dik Dik's abdomen with his blades, causing Dik Dik to double over, then drop to his knees, pressing his hands over the gaping wounds he was left with in an attempt to stem the flow of blood.

Eskara launched himself into the air, doing a back flip to land outside the ring. He then tilted himself back, and used his bladed coattails to cut out a divet in the concrete. Swinging around, he thrust the lump of concrete into the air, grinning as it slammed into Dik Dik, knocking him onto his back.

Dik Dik groaned quietly as the audience gasped in horror. Dik Dik was lying flat on his back, bloodied and bruised, and it looked as though the fight was over already.

Eskara reached up to grab the middle rope of the ring, stepping up onto the ring apron. He pushed down the top rope, stepping over it with ease, walking over to where Dik Dik lay. He kicked the concrete divet aside, watching it roll out of the ring before grabbing one of Dik Dik's horns and pulling him to his feet.

"I hope you ain't gettin' tired, Van Dik," Eskara taunted him. "Cause I'm only just gettin' started wid you!"

Dik Dik closed his eyes, and Eskara began to smile to himself; but his glory was short-lived as Dik Dik's deadly antler fist made contact with his gut. Eskara looked down, his mouth twitching as he saw the points of Dik Dik's fist embedded into his gut.

"You bastard!" he snarled, kicking Dik Dik away from himself.

Dik Dik fell back, his fist slipping out of Eskara with a sickening squelch. Eskara looked down at the two red dots forming just above his belt, growling and baring his fangs.

"Oh, now you're really askin' for it!" he said, launching himself at Dik Dik.

Eskara collided with Dik Dik, who had only just found his footing again, and the two fell to the mat together. Eskara began punching mercilessly at Dik Dik, hitting him around the head and torso. Dik Dik tried to block Eskara's punches, but was largely unsuccessful, and his eyes began to haze over as Eskara burst open his bottom lip and nose with his knuckles.

"Hey Eskara, you asshole, show some dignity and just finish the match!" Trixie yelled.

"Yeah!" Roxanne agreed. "What kinda monster are you?"

"No!" Kid screamed. "Get up and fight, Dik Dik! I don't wanna fight Eskara! He's big and scary!"

The others all turned to stare at Kid, who had suddenly disguised himself as a preppy cheerleader, complete with long brown locks, pom-poms, miniskirt and enormous fake breasts.

"I mean, go Double D, he's our man! If he can't do it, no-one can!" he cheered, forcing on a Southern-Belle accent.

Mrs Tusket pulled a giant salmon from her handbag, handing it to Meat, who slapped it off the back of Kid's head, knocking him back to his normal self.

"Ow!" he moaned, tears forming in his eyes. "I was only trying to show my support for Double D!"

"Kid, just shut-up!" Roxanne snapped.

"Okay…" Kid mumbled, hanging his head and stubbing his toe against the steel railing.

Inside the ring, Eskara had stood up, and was goading Dik Dik to get up and fight back. Dik Dik was shaking all over, and covered with blood, most of which had come from the nasty gashes in his abdomen. But, with the true fighting spirit of a Hercules Factory graduate, Dik Dik rolled over, and, using the ring ropes, pulled himself to his feet.

Eskara began to laugh to himself as Dik Dik turned back to face him, his back supported by the ring-post as he tried to stay on his feet.

"It's time we made dis little match-up a bit more fun, wouldn't ya say, Van Dik?" he asked, reaching up a hand to the golden visor on his head.

Dik Dik frowned and squinted through his semi-conscious haze to focus on Eskara as he pulled the visor down over his eyes.

The audience gasped as Eskara's headdress turned yellow, and rose up around him. Dik Dik started to move away from the ring-post, but Eskara shot a beam from his visor, flipping Dik Dik out of the ring completely with the force of the blow.

Eskara leapt out the ring after Dik Dik, squatting down to grab up Dik Dik's arm. He tore the points from Dik Dik's antler fist, before flinging Dik Dik up into the air, leaping up after him. The audience fell silent, gaping up at the two as they ascended further into the air.

"Ultimate Scar Buster!" Eskara yelled, as he set Dik Dik up for his modified version of the Kinniku Buster in the air.

"No!" Kid screamed, biting at his fingernails nervously.

But Dik Dik looked as though he had already lost consciousness as they sped towards the mat. Upon impact, the ring broke, the ropes going loose as the mat collapsed under the force of the blow. Dik Dik slid from Eskara's shoulders, landing in a crumpled heap onto the mat below.

Eskara calmly stood up, raising his visor once more. As the audience cheered and screamed for him, Eskara turned towards Broken Junior, smiling smugly, and bowing low.

"Dik Dik!" Terry cried, jumping over the steel railing and racing into the remains of the ring to tend to his friend.

Wally hobbled after Terry, and Meat and Kid soon followed.

"Hey, Kid Muscle!" Eskara said as Kid stepped up to the ring. "You ready for our fight now? Come on, I'll take you on right here, right now! You've got da advantage, I'm fresh out of a fight. Maybe now you might be able to last longer dan five minutes in a match against me, huh?"

"You're not a true Muscle Leaguer, Eskara!" Kid retaliated, waving a fist at Eskara. "You don't fight with honour!"

"Ah, whatever!" Eskara sighed. "I understand if you're too chicken to fight me now."

"Why you…!"

Kid started towards Eskara, but Terry and Meat quickly stopped him. Vance McMadd stepped up into the remains of the ring then, carrying a microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said. "The final match-up of the tournament will be Mid Muscle versus Eskara!"

All the audience cheered loudly at this; except for Kiki and Broken, who were distracted by the arrival of Kevin Mask by their side.

"The match-up will take place in two days time," Vance continued. "And tonight we will be having another buffet and dance at the dancehall. Tickets for the final match go on sale at nine o'clock tomorrow morning!"

"Hmph," Kevin muttered. "The final match is a foregone conclusion, as far as I'm concerned. I will make sure Kid Muscle wins by default."

Kiki made to ask Kevin what he meant, but he spun on his heel, and began to march out of the arena. Kiki turned to Broken, who watched her for a moment in silence, before walking after Kevin. She watched him go, and then turned back to the ring, finding Eskara smiling down at her. He nodded his head to acknowledge her, before stepping out of the ring, and walking off towards the backstage area.

"Come on girls, I have to pick up my new dress for tonight's dance," Roxanne said, hooking one arm through Trixie's arm and the other through Kiki's. "We can catch up with the boys later."

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Eskara feels misunderstood, but Kevin Mask assures him he knows exactly who he really is… (Yeah, it's the way cool one when Eskara makes juice out of pineapples with his bare hands!) **Chapter 12 – I Want You Bad**.


	13. I Want You Bad

**A/N:** A "sort of" songfic chapter. I got the idea for this story from _Want You Bad_ by The Offspring, and so now I am incorporating the song into the story. I think the song perfectly describes how Eskara feels about Kiki, especially because it is a play on words (he wants her bad and he wants her to be bad) and so this chapter is based around Eskara's POV as opposed to Kiki's.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Ultimate Muscle, any of the characters (apart from the sleazy redhead who makes a brief cameo!) and I don't own the song Want You Bad.

 **Recap:** Dik Dik confessed his innocence to Kiki, Broken mocked Eskara for falling in love with Kiki, and Eskara viciously defeated Dik Dik to advance to the final match.

* * *

 **Chapter 12 – I Want You Bad**

Eskara narrowed his eyes as he watched Kid Muscle shovelling down his seventeenth bowl of cow and rice. His manners, his stupidity, his smell, and even his appearance all disgusted Eskara beyond words. As he watched, Meat began to berate Kid for being so greedy, and the idiot leapt up onto the table, and began to sing a stupid little song about cow and rice, complete with a ridiculous dance.

"Eskara, are you single?"

Eskara lowered his eyes to the woman who had spoken. He was, as usual, surrounded by women. Since he had removed his disguise, he had been unable to escape them. They flocked around him wherever he went, whether he wanted the attention or not.

"I hope you ladies will all be comin' to my match wid Kid Muscle," he said, tactfully avoiding her question.

They all confirmed that they would, watching his every move as he plucked an apple and a pineapple from the fruit bowl on the table. He manoeuvred the two fruits into one hand, and then lifted up a tall glass.

"Because ladies, dis is what I'm gonna do to Kid Muscle's fat head," he explained, squeezing the two fruits together.

The women gasped and cheered as the juice of the two fruits filled the glass, the sound of their applause attracting Kid Muscle's attention.

"Hey girls, that's nothing!" Kid shouted over to them, grabbing up a watermelon and standing up onto the table again. "Check this out!"

Eskara watched with a smirk as Kid pressed with both hands into the watermelon, his face turning red and a green cloud erupting from his rear-end with the strain. Eventually the watermelon cracked, and the juice squirted out, flying across the room and spraying all over a girl standing with her friends.

"Roxanne, this was nothin' to do with me, I swear!" Meat said, backing away from Kid as Roxanne marched over to him, drenched in melon juice.

"Hi Roxanne!" Kid said nervously. "You sure look pretty tonight!"

"You jerk!" Roxanne roared, smacking Kid with a vicious uppercut.

Kid screamed as he was propelled into the air, and Vance joined Meat to watch.

"Why don't we have her in the Muscle League?" Vance asked Meat thoughtfully.

Eskara shook his head at the madness, dropping the juiced fruits he held to the table. As he turned his head back to Roxanne, he saw her march off, barging past her two friends. His attention then switched to Kiki, who was standing watching him with her usual, wide-eyed little girl face.

 _If you could only read my mind_

 _You would know that things between us_

 _Ain't right_

 _I know your arms are open wide_

 _But you're a little on the straight side_

 _I can't lie_

Eskara smiled, waving a hand at her before sipping at the juice he had created. She smiled back, her cheeks turning slightly pink, as she watched him. Eskara began to drink faster, gulping down the juice as he watched her swing her hand bag round in front of her legs, hanging onto it with both hands and smiling childishly at him.

He finished the juice, slamming the glass down onto the table, causing the girls around him to jump back and gasp.

"Eskara, do it again!" one girl squealed, jumping up and down and clapping her hands.

"Yeah, Eskara, do it again!" another girl said. "Make more juice!"

"Make some for us all!" another girl said.

"I'll drink your juice anytime, baby!"

Eskara turned at the sound of the last voice, smiling in spite of himself as he locked eyes with a buxom red-haired girl, standing with her hands on her hips, eying him over suggestively.

Still smiling, Eskara grabbed up a pineapple and an orange, squeezing them together over another glass. As he watched the juice fall into the glass, he caught sight of Kiki, still hanging back and watching him. He tilted his head slightly as he watched her, wondering why she had not come over to see him yet.

He tossed aside the squashed fruit, then held out the full glass towards Kiki.

"Here you go, sweetheart," he offered.

She smiled slightly, walking over to him. Just as she reached out a hand to take the glass, the red-haired girl shoved her aside and took the glass for herself, winking at Eskara as she gulped down the contents. Eskara turned to Kiki, who softly backed away from the other girl, hanging her head in quiet submission.

 _Your one vice_

 _Is you're too nice_

 _Come around now can you see_

 _I want you_

 _All tattooed_

 _I want you bad_

 _Complete me_

 _Mistreat me_

 _Want you to be bad_

"Are you staying in the hotel here?" the red-haired girl asked Eskara.

"Uh, yeah," he replied, glancing between her and Kiki as he spoke.

"Would you like some company tonight, sugar?"

Eskara paused, wondering why he was suddenly shocked by her proposition. It was not the first time a woman had been so forward with him; it was not even the first time he had been made such an offer since arriving on Earth; and yet he found himself speechless.

Eskara turned to Kiki to gauge her reaction, only to find she was turning away from him and walking off in the opposite direction.

"Sorry, I got someplace else to be," he said to the redhead. "Excuse me ladies."

The women groaned and sighed as Eskara weaved through them, following after Kiki. She was walking at a faster pace than he had anticipated, and he had to jog for a bit to catch up with her.

"Kiki!" he said, reaching out a hand to her shoulder.

"Eskara!" she blurted, stopping and turning to face him. "I, um… I should get going… I mean, I can see that you're busy…"

"Busy?" Eskara repeated, frowning down at her.

"Well, I mean…"

Kiki pointed past him, and he turned to see the red-haired woman still watching him. As he caught her eye, she ran her tongue over her teeth, pointing at him and then herself.

"Fangirls, huh?" he laughed, turning back to Kiki.

But Kiki did not seem to appreciate the joke. She was standing hanging her head, looking shy and awkward.

"Do you wanna go look at da stars, sweetheart?" he offered.

Kiki slowly shook her head, without looking up again. Eskara sighed, wondering what he had missed.

 _If you could only read my mind_

 _You would know that I've been waiting_

 _So long_

 _For someone almost just like you_

 _But with attitude, I'm waiting so come on_

"Why don't I get you something to drink, huh?"

"No thanks," Kiki said softly, looking up at him at last. "I should check on Roxanne. Kid sprayed her new dress with melon juice…"

"Yeah, dat was beautiful!" Eskara chuckled.

"Roxanne didn't think so…" Kiki said, smiling slightly. "I'll catch you later."

Eskara opened his mouth to stop Kiki, but words escaped him. He watched her walk over to the door at the end of the hall, where she was met by Trixie and Roxanne. Roxanne was drenched from head to toe, and still looked utterly furious. Trixie looked as though she was trying her hardest not to laugh out loud at Roxanne's predicament

"That Kid Muscle can be such a jerk sometimes!" Roxanne ranted.

"Why don't you just dump him, Roxanne?" Trixie asked her.

"Because…"

"Because he's really sweet, and he really cares for you underneath it all," Kiki offered.

Eskara grunted in disgust. Kid Muscle was sweet? He turned his head to where Kid Muscle was sitting stuffing his face with cow and rice again. The idiot probably could not even remember what he had done to Roxanne, much less feel any guilt about it. Other than crying when she had smacked him in the face, the prince probably felt no remorse whatsoever for his actions against Roxanne.

Roxanne, Eskara decided, was obviously just as stupid as Kid Muscle to accept such ludicrous behaviour.

And the other girl, Trixie, was the biggest fool of them all. Unlike the goody-goody Muscle Leaguers, Roxanne and "everybody is a nice person" Kiki, Eskara could see Trixie for what she really was. He smirked to himself as Terry walked over to Trixie, fawning over her in his blind love for her. Although Trixie flirted back with him, Eskara knew only too well that Terry was not the only man Trixie flirted with that way; he was not even the only Muscle Leaguer.

But neither of Trixie's two friends would ever realise just what she got up to behind their backs. Roxanne was too tied up with Kid Muscle, who lived up to his name: he was just like a kid, and Roxanne was like his mother. And Kiki thought the best of everyone; hell, she even seemed to think Eskara was a nice guy.

Eskara lowered his eyes, his stomach tightening again. He screwed his eyes shut as he replayed his conversation with Broken earlier that day inside his head. If Broken thought he was hopelessly in love with Kiki, what did the others think of him? Broken had never struck Eskara as being a particularly observant man when it came to matters of the heart; so if he thought that the mighty Eskara had fallen in love, who else shared his opinion?

"Eskara, are you okay?" Kiki asked.

Eskara looked up sharply, finding Kiki standing in front of him once more, her handbag dangling down in front of her legs again. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she watched him expectantly, chewing at her bottom lip.

"I thought maybe you were ill," she added quietly. "After you want into the pharmacy last night, and then… You are alright?"

Eskara closed his eyes in an elongated blink; but when he opened his eyes, Kiki was still looking at him with wide, concerned eyes. She was still chewing at her lip, she was still wringing her hands around the strap of her handbag, and she was still the girl next door who had no idea he had been expecting her to have sex with him the night before.

 _Get out of clothes time_

 _Grow out those highlights_

 _Come around now can you see_

 _I want you_

 _In a vinyl suit_

 _I want you bad_

 _Complicated_

 _X-rated_

 _I want you bad_

"I'm fine," Eskara lied, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Do you want to dance?" Kiki asked.

"Sure," Eskara said with a smile, holding out his arm towards her.

She hooked her arm though his, and together they headed towards the dance-floor; but on the way, a waiter bumped into Eskara, spilling three glasses of red wine over his chest.

"Hey, watch it!" Eskara snapped, certain the attack had been deliberate.

Looking down at himself, Eskara saw that the wine had not only stained his outfit, but it had also soaked into the dressing over his wound left from Dik Dik's antler fist.

"Now look what you've gone and done!" he barked.

"I'm sure it was just an accident," Kiki said. "You can't get angry at the poor man, he must have tripped!"

Eskara turned to look at Kiki, shocked to find she genuinely meant what she had said. The man had obviously deliberately walked into Eskara, and yet she honestly believed it had been an accident. In her persistent belief that all people were good and innocent until proven otherwise, she could not see that this was a deliberate, vicious act.

Was it stupidity, or just pure and untouched innocence that lead to such a frame of mind?

 _Don't get me wrong_

 _I know you're only being good_

 _But that's what's wrong_

 _I guess I just misunderstood_

"I'm terribly sorry, Sir," the waiter said, wiping at Eskara with his towel.

"Don't touch me!" Eskara snapped, hitting his hands away.

"Then perhaps you would care to join me," the waiter offered. "We have some clean linen through the back, I could redress that wound for you, and get you a fresh change of clothes."

Eskara narrowed his eyes sceptically at the waiter, wondering why his voice sounded suddenly familiar.

"Go on, Eskara," Kiki urged him. "You have to keep your wound clean, otherwise it won't heal!"

Eskara turned to her to argue the point, but her bright eyes silenced him, and he found himself nodding his head.

"Sure," he said.

"Right this way, Sir," the waiter said, walking off towards a door at the back of the hall.

Eskara followed after him, looking down at the stains on his suit as they left the dancehall. The corridors outside were considerably darker than the main dancehall itself, and much colder. Eskara looked up as they walked, looking around himself. They seemed to be passing several doors, but the waiter kept walking.

"This way, Sir," he said, turning a corner and heading down a further hall.

"Sheesh, couldn't dey keep da linen room a bit closer to da hall?" Eskara grumbled, following him onwards.

"This way, Sir," the waiter said, turning another corner, leading to yet another hall.

"Wait a minute!" Eskara said, stopping abruptly. "You better not be just leadin' me around in a circle here, pal!"

"Whatever do you mean?" the waiter asked, turning to face Eskara.

"Walkin' down all dese corridors… Where are you really takin' me, huh?"

"I see some things never change. I still you are still as impetuous as ever, Mars."

"Huh? What did you just call me?"

"Well, that is your name, isn't it, Mars?"

"Wait a minute…"

Eskara grabbed a hold of the waiter's head and pulled hard, tearing off a disguise to reveal Kevin Mask, in his wrestling armour. Taking advantage of Eskara's shock, Kevin quickly grabbed Eskara into his Tower Bridge hold.

"Hey, what're you doin', Mask?" Eskara demanded. "Geddoff me!"

"Tell me, Mars, how long are you intending keeping up this pretence, hm?" Kevin asked.

"Dat's got nothin' to do wid you, squealer!" Eskara growled.

"You can't hide your true identity forever, Mars!" Kevin warned. "I wonder what Vance McMadd would think if he knew who you really are, Mars?"

"Oh, you wouldn't dare!" Eskara snarled. "You can't do dat! You owe me your life, you ungrateful son of a bitch!"

Kevin paused, unable to answer Eskara; but he still held him in the Tower Bridge.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten already, Mask," Eskara sneered. "Here, let me remind you. We was trainin' together, crossin' a lava pit. We was hangin' from a spiked log, wid concrete weights on our legs. I was stuck behind your sorry ass, waitin' for you to move on. But you couldn't do it. You let go, and you was all but dead. Until I reached down and caught you, dat is. You oughta be a pile of ash at da bottom of dat lava right now. You owe me, Mask. Don't ever forget dat."

Kevin faltered, and Eskara took advantage, breaking out of the hold and flipping Kevin over, slamming him to the ground with force.

"You better keep your damn mouth shut dis time, Mask," he warned. "Cause if you don't, I'm goin' back to da Hercules Factory, and I'm gonna feed on your daddy's pickled bones, capisce?"

Eskara straightened at the sound of approaching voices, watching as a group of people from the party appeared at the end of the corridor. Kevin scrambled to his feet and raced off before anyone spotted him, leaving Eskara alone to face the crowd.

"What happened here?" Vance McMadd asked Eskara.

"I was ambushed," Eskara answered solemnly, resisting the urge to grin as the crowd gasped.

"Somebody call security, we'll find the thugs who did this!" Vance shouted.

"No, wait!" Eskara called, as the group started to head back to the hall. "Dey was a dangerous group, but I took care of 'em. No need to worry."

"I bet that idiot Kid Muscle had something to do with this!" one of Eskara's female fans suggested.

Eskara watched in a state of bemusement as the mob of girls began to chase after Kid Muscle, hitting at him with their handbags, causing him to scream and cry like a child.

"I'm sorry about this, Eskara," Vance apologised. "Is there anything I can get you?"

"No, dat's okay," Eskara assured him.

"Eskara!"

Eskara turned to see Kiki running towards him.

"Someone said you were attacked!" she said.

"Yeah, but it's okay, I handled myself," he said calmly. "Come on, sweetheart, let's go outside for some fresh air, huh?"

"Okay."

Kiki took a hold of Eskara's hand, and followed him out of the building. Once they were outside, Eskara quietly sighed to himself, rubbing a hand at his forehead as he considered the implications of Kevin telling Vance McMadd the truth about who he really was.

"Eskara, I'm really glad you won your match today," Kiki said softly.

"Huh?" Eskara echoed, his hand dropping from his face. "Oh yeah, sure. Me too, sweetheart."

"I hope you win your next match too, Eskara," she continued. "I really want you to stay here."

"Yeah, me too."

Eskara watched Kiki smile at him, finding himself again in awe of her sweetness and innocence. Did she always behave this good?

 _I want you_

 _All tattooed_

 _I want you bad_

 _Complicated_

 _X- rated_

 _I want you bad_

"You'll be at da match?" he asked, gently placing an arm around her shoulders.

"Of course!" she replied, nodding her head. "I wouldn't miss it for the world! But the match is still two days away. Will I see you again before the match?"

Eskara smirked to himself, but again, the look on her face quickly stemmed his thoughts.

"I've gotta lotta trainin' to do, sweetheart," he said firmly. "But if you need me for anything, come down to da lake one evening. I go dere most nights. It's dark, and I get a good view of da stars."

Eskara pointed up at the sky again, and Kiki smiled, scanning over the stars for herself.

"Yeah, I guess you probably get a really good view of Mars from there!" she said.

Eskara faltered as she said the word "Mars", having to repeat over and over in his head that she was referring to the red planet in the sky, and not him; but he was finding it hard.

"Yeah," he said smiling widely enough that his fangs were exposed to the moonlight. "You get a fantastic view of Mars down at da lake. Come see me sometime, yeah?"

"Okay," Kiki agreed, before leaning her head against his chest, her eyes still watching the sky overhead.

 _I mean it_

 _I need it_

I want you bad

Eskara squeezed her shoulder, deciding it would be best to keep quiet about what he actually did down at the lake. If she was brave and bad enough to come down there on her own, in the dark, she would find out soon enough…

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Kiki makes some shocking discoveries about Trixie, Meat, Vance, and herself! **Chapter 13 – Night Swimming**.


	14. Night Swimming

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Ultimate Muscle. This chapter kinda proves as much…

 **Recap:** Poor Eskara doesn't understand Kiki, and Kiki doesn't understand Eskara. Kevin threatened to reveal Eskara's true identity to Vance McMadd.

* * *

 **Chapter 13 – Night Swimming**

Kiki lay flat on her back, her arms and legs spread out, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. It had only been one day since Eskara had defeated Dik Dik, but in that time, she had not seen either man.

Roxanne had tried to bully her into visiting Dik Dik, but she did not really want to go. Her parents had gone off for a week to their Summer House, leaving her completely alone with her thoughts; and her thoughts mainly concerned Eskara.

Kiki did not trust herself to wander too far from the house. In her mind, she could hear Eskara inviting her down to the lake, over and over. She had hoped she could resist the urge to take him up on his offer, but here she was, barely one full day later, and only by putting herself under house-arrest was she still able to resist him.

Kiki closed her eyes, trying to remind herself of Trixie's thoughts on the matter: "He's gorgeous. He's famous. He's rich. He's successful. Every woman on this planet wants him. Why the hell would he want a boring, little, goody-two-shoes, freckle-faced, mousy girl-next-door like you?" she heard Trixie's voice echo through her head.

Kiki quickly opened her eyes again, the prevailing image of Trixie burned in her mind's eye. Roxanne had excused herself from most of their girly activities lately as she was dating Kid, but Trixie had no excuse. Although Roxanne claimed Trixie had had sex with Terry, Trixie had never said as much herself, and neither had said Trixie and Terry were dating.

Kiki sat up, grabbing up her mobile phone. She quickly dialled up Trixie's number, chewing at her bottom lip as she waited for an answer. The phone rang for a considerable amount of time, and Kiki eventually hung up in defeat. It was not like Trixie not to answer her phone, and Kiki began to worry something might have happened to her friend.

Kiki quickly pulled on a pair of shoes, slipped into her coat and hurried out of the room. She ran all the way to the front door, hurriedly locking it shut behind herself, then briskly walking down the street.

She decided the best place to look for Trixie first was the diner; Trixie rarely stayed at home, whether or not one of the girls was with her.

Walking briskly in her attempt to keep her mind occupied, Kiki reached the diner in a matter of minutes, slowing down as she passed the line of lit windows. She searched the interior of the diner, but saw no sign of Trixie; she did, however, spot Terry sitting alone, hunched over a steaming mug of cocoa.

Smiling to herself, Kiki skipped around to the door, walking into the diner. It was fairly empty, and almost everyone inside looked up as she walked in; everyone except Terry. Kiki's smile dropped as she realised Terry looked very sad about something.

"Terry?" she said as she approached him.

Terry did not respond, making Kiki wonder if he had even heard her.

"Terry?" she said again, forcing herself to talk louder.

"Huh?" Terry replied, blinking several times as though he was just waking up. "Oh, hey there, Kiki. Fancy seein' you in here! Take a sit, little lady!"

"Thanks."

Kiki sat down opposite Terry, frowning as he lowered his head again, dragging his fingers through his bright blonde hair.

"Terry, are you alright?" she asked. "You kinda look upset about something."

"Yeah," Terry absent-mindedly replied.

"Is it to do with Eskara?" Kiki asked meekly, suddenly thinking her presence may be the last thing he wanted.

"Nope," Terry replied with a sigh. "It's just… Well now it just wouldn't be proper to go talkin' about a lady behind her back like that…"

"A lady? Oh, you mean Trixie?"

"Well, kind of."

"What is it? I tried to phone her, but she isn't answering her phone, and I got worried."

"Yeah, she ain't answerin' to me, neither. She said she would meet me here four hours ago…"

"Oh my God! What if something awful has happened!"

Terry narrowed his eyes at Kiki, who took a moment to notice his change of expression.

"What?" she asked nervously.

"Sheesh, Kiki, sometimes I really do wonder about you, y'know that?" he replied.

"What do you mean?" Kiki asked.

"Well, either you really are the kindest girl in the world, or you are just plain stupid!"

Kiki's jaw dropped in shock; in all the time she had known Terry, she had never heard him be so blunt or insulting.

"Trixie ain't hurt, Kiki," he said slowly. "She's not answerin' her phone cause she don't want to, not cause she can't."

"But why would she do that?" Kiki asked, her eyes darting back and forth between Terry and the table as she braced herself for another outburst from the Texan warrior.

"Well, I think it's cause she's gone n' found herself another man," Terry said, before rubbing his face with both hands.

"Oh…"

Kiki turned away from Terry for a moment, mulling over this piece of information.

"Terry, Trixie adores you," she eventually said. "I know she does! Ever since she first saw you, you're all she's spoken about! She liked you long before Roxanne ever liked Kid-"

"And now she's bored of me."

Kiki hung her head, watching her hands. It seemed that Terry was beyond consolation; and she was still confused and concerned about Trixie's exact whereabouts.

"I'm sure you're mistaken," she said softly.

"I sure hope I am," Terry sighed.

"Well, I'm going to look for her," Kiki said decisively, standing up from the table. "Are you coming with me?"

"No thanks."

"Okay then."

Kiki was quietly glad that Terry had chosen not to go with her. She was enjoying some time alone, and she was beginning to worry exactly where Trixie was and what she was doing. What if Terry was right? What if she had found another boyfriend?

Kiki replayed Roxanne telling her at Kid's match that Trixie had had sex with Terry; surely she could not have dumped him so soon if the relationship was that serious?

Kiki began to head for the hut Kid and Meat inhabited, assuming she would find Roxanne there too. Hopefully Roxanne would be able to shed some light on the situation for her.

As Kiki entered Beverley Park, she slowed down, tilting her head slightly as she sighted Meat's hut. It was in complete darkness, and it appeared as though there was no-one at home. Kiki decided to walk on to Roxanne's house, but as she passed the hut, she heard a voice from inside.

Kiki stopped, turning to face the hut. She slowly walked over, reaching out a hand towards the door handle. Although Kiki knew she should really knock, she was so certain the hut would be empty, and the door would probably be locked, she went ahead and opened the door wide, taking a step into the hut.

As Trixie let out a scream that could have woken the dead, Kiki stopped in her tracks, her blood running cold at what she saw.

"Kiki!" Trixie screeched. "What in the hell do you think you're doing?"

Kiki paused, eying the nervous man perched on top of Trixie, then turning her attention back to Trixie, who was pulling the sheets of Kid's bed up to hide her naked form.

"You know what Trixie, I was just about you the very same question," Kiki calmly said, folding her arms.

"What?" Trixie whimpered.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Trixie?" Kiki asked, her voice rising with her emotions. "Terry is at the diner waiting for you! He's been there for like four hours! I can't believe you did this to him!"

"Don't stand there and lecture me, Miss Can't-Be-Wrong!" Trixie retaliated.

"Don't try to turn this around and make it about me, Trixie," Kiki coldly said. "Because this is about you. It's all about you. Y'know, if you were gonna be a lousy cheater, you could at least have found somewhere original to do it. How could you have sex with someone, someone who isn't even your boyfriend, in your best friend's boyfriend's bed? You make me sick!"

"Kiki, wait!"

Kiki slammed the door shut, and marched off out of the park, ignoring Trixie's cries for her to stop. Her arms folded defiantly, Kiki marched on with more purpose than ever, heading to Roxanne's house.

Kiki had left her house in search of a distraction from her thoughts, but this was far more than she had bargained for.

Kiki did not even know why she was still heading to Roxanne's house; what would she do once she got there? Would she tell Roxanne what she had seen? Surely if she was going to tell anyone, the first person she should tell should be Terry. But how could she even begin to tell him about what she had borne witness to?

Kiki began to walk faster, determined to reach Roxanne's house. Once she saw her friend, she would know what to do.

Kiki slowed as she neared Roxanne's house, stopping completely at the point where she could see around the back of the house. She spotted Kid and Roxanne out in the back yard, laughing and joking about something. Closer to the house – and closer to Kiki – watching the young couple was Roxanne's mother, Marie, and Meat.

Kiki edged closer, her interest peaked by what she saw. Marie was watching Roxanne and Kid with a faraway smile, and Meat was watching Marie with the same expression.

Roxanne had mentioned to Kiki and Trixie that Meat had feelings for Marie, her adoptive mother, but Kiki had never truly believed it before. Watching Meat's forlorn expression, Kiki was suddenly reminded of Terry. Both men were suffering from the symptoms of unrequited love.

Unrequited love.

Kiki knew that feeling only too well. She had fallen in love with Dan, and he had barely even acknowledged her existence, except for the occasions when he chose to mock her for her feelings towards him.

And now she was repeating the same thing with Eskara. What had started out as a curious attraction to a masked man had turned into a crush, and it was now turning into something much deeper.

Kiki sighed, turning away from the happy family scene. She could not stand to see Roxanne and Kid at such a time.

Kiki walked onwards, barely even aware of which direction she was heading in her daze. It was after dark, but the night was pleasantly warm, and the walk was quite refreshing.

Before long, Kiki found herself passing the small Chinese restaurant at the edge of town, the same one she had often gone to with the girls to spy on Kid Muscle and his friends when they had first arrived on Earth. Kiki smiled as she looked through the window, happy memories dancing through her mind.

In her dreamlike state, Kiki almost walked into two men walking out of the restaurant, only just managing to stop herself; and yet they never even noticed her. Kiki watched them pass her, her mind taking a moment to click.

It was Vance and Ikeman McMadd.

"This will finally be the end of Kid Muscle!" Ikeman laughed.

"Good riddance!" Vance rejoiced. "Eskara sells far more tickets! He's a better wrestler, he's got the testicular fortitude to lead the Muscle League to new heights, and he's a real hit with the ladies!"

"I'll say!" Ikeman agreed. "I've never seen so many women turn out for ticket sales to an IWF event!"

"We're onto a real money-earner, son!" Vance barked, slapping his son on the back.

"Hurrah!"

Kiki watched the two walk away, laughing loudly. She was more than a little disheartened to hear that they thought so little of Kid Muscle, and she hoped that their obvious preference towards Eskara would not be to her best friend's boyfriend's disadvantage; Roxanne would be heart-broken if Kid was sent to Uranus.

Kiki walked on again, beginning to think the evening was turning into some sort of joke. She had merely sought something small to distract her mind from Eskara. Something very small would have sufficed. She had never dreamed she would see, hear and learn so much.

It almost felt as though, for the first time in her life, she was truly seeing the people around her for what they really were. Was that because of the situations she had happened to find them in, or was it because she had changed, and was now able to see them that way?

Kiki kicked a pebble at her feet, a shiver running over her body as she heard it splash into water.

Kiki stopped, looking around herself. She had left the town, crossed the valley, and she was standing in front of the lake.

"How did I get here?" she grumbled to herself. "The one place I was meant to be avoiding…"

Kiki turned to walk back, starting to take a step away from the water; but she stopped, her foot in midair, as she spotted a dark patch on the ground. Kiki pulled her foot back and squatted down, grabbing up the pile of cloth that lay on the ground.

"Oh no…" she whispered, opening it out with her hands.

It was Eskara's bodysuit.

Kiki dropped it, turning back to the water. She searched the water's surface desperately, but saw no sign of Eskara. She started to walk on, around the water's edge, only to trip on one of Eskara's boots. Looking down, she saw one boot, then another a short distance away from it. Kiki slowly walked past both boots, stopping at the one item of his clothing that did truly fascinate her; his headdress.

Kiki gathered it up in her hands, running a finger along the glittering gold visor he had used against Dik Dik the day before. Just as she was trying to figure out what it was, an almighty splash caused her to drop it in shock and turn towards the water.

Kiki watched in awe as Eskara rose from the water, throwing back his head. She prepared herself to avert her eyes as he rose higher above the level of the water, but as he reached his fullest height, the water level was just high enough to hide his dignity.

Kiki watched as he wiped at his face with both hands, smoothing his deep red hair back from his face. He took a moment to spot Kiki, a smile instantly appearing on his lips when he did. As he watched her, his smile widened, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Kiki?' he called to her.

Kiki gulped, clasping her hands at her chest.

"Sweetheart, I thought you'd never get here…"

Kiki remained silent, still shocked to see him without his headdress. She had not thought it was possible for him to look any more attractive than he had when he first revealed his true form, and yet he was the picture of perfection standing out in the lake.

"Won't you join me?" he called to her, holding out a hand towards her.

Kiki wanted to answer him, but she seemed to have lost the power of speech. Eskara's smile faded slightly, and he started to frown at her.

"Don't be shy, sweetheart!" he coaxed. "And don't make me have to come over dere!"

Kiki's heart leapt into her throat at the very thought; two steps closer to her would be enough for the water level to drop to his thighs.

"Okay, if dat's what you want…" Eskara sighed, lifting a leg beneath the water and starting to take a step towards her.

"No!" she wailed, holding up a hand to halt his progress. "No, don't come over here!"

Eskara grinned again, placing his leg back down to its original position.

"Well, you gotta come over here, den!" he called to her.

"But, I…"

"Or I can come to you!"

"No, I'm coming!"

Kiki pulled off her shoes and eased off her coat, glancing around herself to ensure no-one was watching before stepping into the water.

"Oh God it's cold!" she yelped as the water licked at her ankles.

"It's not cold over here, sweetheart," Eskara said slyly, beckoning her to come closer.

Kiki slowly waded through the water towards him, forgetting for a moment how much taller than her he actually was. She stopped as she found herself up to her waist in cold water, and still a good distance from Eskara.

"What are you stoppin' for?" Eskara called to her.

"It's alright for you, you're tall!" she wailed.

Eskara smirked darkly, before raising his arms above his head.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Kiki asked quietly, unsure if she was shaking from the cold or from nerves.

Eskara swiftly dove under the water, gliding along towards her. Kiki's eyes widened in shock as she watched him circle around her beneath the water. He then popped his head out of the water, winking at her before grabbing her waist and pulling her down on top of himself.

Kiki screamed at the top of her lungs, but her cry was quickly lost as she was forced under the water. Eskara held her against his body, swimming back towards the deepest part of the lake with her.

When he eventually resurfaced, Eskara pulled Kiki up with him, holding onto her as she shivered and gasped for air.

"Hey, are you okay, sweetheart?" he asked through playful laughter.

"No!" she answered breathlessly. "So… Cold!"

"You're still cold?' Eskara asked, pretending to look concerned. "I guess dat means you ain't accustomed to da water yet."

"Eskara, no!"

Eskara laughed as Kiki screamed, both of their voices turning into bubbles as he pulled her under the water again. Once they were under the water, Eskara swam forwards, holding Kiki tightly against himself. He began to roll over, forcing her to move in circles as they swam. He kept watching her as they went, wary of keeping her under the water for longer than she could stand.

When they resurfaced, Kiki grabbed her arms around Eskara's neck and grabbed her legs around his waist, instinctively clutching onto him in a desperate attempt to steal some of his body heat. Eskara chuckled softly, sliding his hands up her back.

Kiki gasped and shuddered, looking around herself. Eskara had been right about one thing; the view of the stars was phenomenal from the lake. Kiki was amazed she had never noticed it before. It was so dark where they were, so very, very dark.

Kiki frowned, looking around herself carefully. Eskara had taken her to the other side of the lake, by a patch of trees, which effectively obscured them from the view of any passers-by.

"Eskara…" she began weakly, looking around the dark shapes of the trees.

"Hush, sweetheart," he said softly, as he gripped his fingers into the material of her dress at her back.

Kiki screamed in shock as he tore his hands from her, ripping her dress from her body,

"Sh," Eskara said, stroking one hand over her head.

Kiki froze, her fingernails biting into Eskara's shoulders as he waded out of the water, carrying her to the bank of the lake amidst the trees. He carefully pulled her body from his, lying her down on the soft forest floor, and positioning himself on top of her.

Kiki opened her mouth to speak, but Eskara pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her. He smiled down at her, and Kiki found herself relaxing as she looked into his eyes. She slowly reached up, taking his face in both her hands. Smiling back at him, Kiki pulled Eskara's face to hers, kissing him on the lips.

Closing her eyes, Kiki began to lose herself in the moment, simply enjoying the closeness of Eskara, the warmth of his body, the tenderness of his kiss; and barely noticing that he was tearing off the remains of her clothing.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** It's time for the final match-up, Kid Muscle vs. Eskara. During the match, Kevin has a confession to make that concerns Eskara and the Kinnku Buster. **Chapter 14 – War of Nerves**.


	15. War of Nerves

**A/N:** I missed out the bit when Eskara jumps Wally and Dik Dik in the street, as it wasn't really practical given the circumstances – even though that episode did include my all time favourite Mars quote: "Dear Abby, I like to wear my superhero costume when I'm loungin' around da apartment. Is dat wrong? Heh, I can't believe she printed it!" =)

 **Disclaimer:** The time machine has had yet another setback, so no. I don't own Ultimate Muscle.

 **Recap:** Kiki discovered Trixie is cheating on Terry, Meat is in love with Marie, Vance and Ikeman are rooting for Eskara, and Eskara looks damn good without his headdress and when he's soaking wet…

* * *

 **Chapter 14 – War of Nerves**

"Well, Mac, here we are, but the question on everyone's lips is where is the mystery venue the final match-up will be taking place?"

"Well Doc, I think that question is about to be answered. Take a look over there!"

"It's Vance McMadd, Mac, and he looks like he getting ready to make the big announcement to the fans."

"Perhaps it has something to do with the giant convoy of spaceships hanging over heads and blocking out the sun, Doc."

"Maybe so, Mac, maybe so. Let's listen in."

"Ladies and gentlemen, the final match of the tournament, Kid Muscle versus Eskara, will take place in the Coliseum from the Hercules Factory!"

"There you have it, Mac. Looks like Kid Muscle will be fighting Eskara in the Coliseum from the Hercules Factory."

"And here it comes now, Doc. By the looks of it, it's about to land on Vance McMadd's head."

Vance McMadd began to run in panic as the convoy of spaceships started to lower the coliseum towards the spot he had been standing on, signifying the imminent start of the final match-up. The streets were already filling with fans flocking to the venue, all of who were keen to see whom the victor would be; to see who would remain on Earth, and who would be reassigned to Uranus.

Amongst those making their way in was Roxanne, who was trying to hold back to look for her friends. Ahead of her, Wally and his family were shouting to her and waving at her to join them; but Roxanne did not want to go to her seat without Trixie and Kiki.

Slowly making her way towards the Tuskets, Roxanne continued to watch over her shoulder, her frown deepening as she began to worry something bad might have happened that she was unaware of. She had not seen or heard from either of her friends since the night of the buffet, when Kid had very kindly drenched her in melon juice.

And, as Roxanne thought back to that night, both Trixie and Kiki had left suddenly, and without saying goodbye to her.

"Roxanne, are you okay?" Wally asked her as she reached him.

"Not really, Wally," she said with a sigh. "I was kinda hoping Trixie and Kiki would be here by now."

"Oh," Wally said, scratching his head. "Well, we're going to our seats now. Are you gonna wait here a bit longer?"

"Yeah, I think I will, thanks," Roxanne said. "But I'll make sure I'm there before the match starts, I promise."

"Okay. See ya later!"

"Yeah, bye."

Roxanne turned back to the streams of people flooding into the coliseum, scanning over them meticulously, her anxiety growing when she could still not see any trace of either girl.

"Surely they wouldn't miss this match…" Roxanne muttered to herself.

"Well hey there, Roxanne!"

Roxanne turned to see Terry walking towards her, munching on a burger.

"Terry, have you seen Trixie or Kiki lately?" Roxanne asked him, ignoring his greeting.

Terry paused, one cheek bulging with the unchewed contents of his mouth. He slowly shook his head, and then resumed chewing.

"Oh," Roxanne said, hanging her head. "I'm getting really worried, Terry. I haven't seen either of them since the buffet two days ago!"

"Two days ago, huh?" Terry said through a mouthful of food. "Well, I reckon I done seen both girls durin' that time."

"You did? Where? When?"

"Well… At the diner last night."

"Oh good! I was getting so worried! Especially about Kiki…"

"Kiki, yeah."

Terry stuffed the remains of his burger into his mouth, chewing hard to hide his awkwardness as he spotted Trixie slipping through the crowd towards them.

"Roxanne!" Trixie called out, running over to join them.

"Trixie, thank God you're here!" Roxanne said.

"Huh?" Trixie echoed, frowning at her in confusion. "Why wouldn't I be here?"

"I don't know," Roxanne replied honestly. "I just… I woke up this morning with a real bad feeling about today. Like something awful is about to happen. Probably just nerves, worrying about Kid."

"What, you think Eskara's gonna beat Kid Muscle, and he'll get sent to Uranus?"

"I don't know if that's what it is. But that is a concern..."

Trixie then noticed Terry, her face paling slightly as their eyes met.

"Trixie," Terry said with a nod of his head.

"Hey, Terry," she replied, smiling slightly.

Roxanne glanced back and forth between the two, narrowing her eyes as she began to sense the tense atmosphere that had developed since Trixie's arrival.

"Roxanne!"

Roxanne turned back to the crowd to see Kiki running towards her, her face twisting at what she saw. Kiki was wearing her fairylike green dress again, and had her hair styled.

"Kiki, you look good…" Roxanne greeted her, eyeing her over suspiciously.

"Oh, thanks!" Kiki quickly replied. "Have you seen…"

Kiki slowly trailed off her words into silence as she spotted Trixie. She stared at Trixie for a moment in complete silence, before turning to Terry.

"Kiki, how's it goin'?" Terry greeted her.

"Fine, thanks," Kiki quietly replied, glancing at Trixie before asking Terry her next question. "How are you, Terry?"

"I'm good," Terry tightly replied.

"Uh-huh…"

Kiki slowly turned back to Trixie, who was looking Terry. Roxanne stepped between them all, looking at each of them in turn.

"Okay, which one of you is going to explain to me just what is going on here?" she demanded, planting her hands on her hips.

"Hi, girls, do you mind if I join you?"

Roxanne turned to find Jaeger approaching them, looking extremely pleased with himself for some unknown reason.

"Herr Broken had to go somevhere, so I vondered if I could join you girls?" Jaeger continued.

"Sure, Jaeger!" Kiki replied, smiling up at him.

"Well, we best get goin', folks," Terry said solemnly. "We need to get to our seats before Kid makes his big entrance."

"I totally agree," Trixie said, walking on ahead of the others.

"But…" Roxanne started, looking around the others as they all joined the flow of people heading into the main arena.

Roxanne sighed in despair, following after them as she grumbled to herself about being left out of everything lately. As each of the others was distracted one way or another, none of them noticed Roxanne's anguish, and she was left to suffer alone and in silence.

When the group reached their front row seats, they found that Doc and Mac were already settled at their table, and had begun discussing the upcoming match-up. Roxanne watched them for a moment, squinting at their monitors in an attempt to make out the part of the arena the cameras were fixed on. After spending a few moments studying the image, Roxanne realised that Kid and Eskara were to be lowered to the aisle in the action figure packaging again.

She turned to inform the others, only to find that, with the exception of Jaeger, they had all disappeared.

"What?" she snapped, her eyes flashing with rage. "Where did everybody get to?"

"Ze valrus family vent to buy a programme, Terry vent to buy more snacks, ze blonde girl vent to see Kevin Mask and ze green-haired girl vent to ze top of ze aisle to see Eskara vhen he enters," Jaeger plainly answered her. "Are you alright, Roxanne? You look sad!"

"Sad?" Roxanne echoed. "I'm not sad, Jaeger, I'm angry!"

"Angry?"

"Yeah! In fact, I'm more than just angry. I'm furious! Something really screwed up if going on here – in fact, lots of really screwed up things are going on here – and I don't know what's happening! And no-one will tell me! They all keep avoiding me!"

"Ah. I zhink I vill go to se snack stand too. Vould you like anyzhing?"

"No!"

"Okay."

Roxanne sighed, dropping down into her seat.

"I wish someone would tell me what the heck is going on around here…" she grumbled.

Meanwhile, Trixie was scaling the steps through the upper row of seats, heading for Kevin Mask. He had been easy enough to locate in the audience; even sitting down, he was head and shoulders above the others around him; and how many guys went around in a big blue iron helmet?

Trixie no longer knew if it was concern for her friend or the desire for revenge that was driving her on; but she had to know what it was that Kevin was hiding about Eskara. She was determined to learn the truth about Kid's soon-to-be opponent, and she was determined that she would be the one to tell Kiki exactly what it was.

"Kevin?" Trixie said, stopping by his side.

Fortunately for Trixie, Kevin was seated in the end seat, immediately next to the steps, so getting close to him was not an issue.

"Go back to your little friends," Kevin coldly replied, keeping his eyes fixed on the ring below.

"Kevin, I need to know what it is that you know about Eskara," Trixie continued, ignoring his dismissal.

"Go away, little girl," Kevin monotonously replied.

"Kevin!" Trixie snapped.

But Kevin did not answer Trixie. She began to mutter and grumble and curse his name under her breath, only stopping when Broken Junior walked past her, sitting down into the seat immediately in front of Kevin.

Trixie glanced between the two, deciding who she should harass next; but the sound of Kid's entrance music distracted her attention from both Chojins, and she turned to see Kid being lowered to the top of the aisle inside the action figure packaging again. Her face twisted as she recalled what had happened the last time Kid had been inside that packaging; but this time, Kid broke out of the packaging immediately, jogging to the ring with a determined expression on his face.

He was only inside the ring for a matter of seconds before his entrance music faded to be replaced by Eskara's. Trixie moved her eyes to the walkway down the end of the seats that ran parallel to the aisle, finding Kiki waiting for her hero.

Trixie turned back to Kevin, but he was still focussed on the ring. She turned to Broken, but he appeared to be watching the ring too. Sighing loudly at them both in frustration, she marched back down the steps to rejoin the others at their ringside seats.

Meanwhile, Kiki was standing at the edge of the railing, watching as Eskara's giant action figure packaging transporter landed. Eskara broke out effortlessly, revealing himself to be dressed in his usual wrestling gear, but with the addition of a giant pair of crimson wings on his back.

Kiki walked alongside him as he slowly made his way towards the ring, one fist raised in the air. Once he reached a point where he was almost level with Kiki, Eskara moved over the railing, pausing to smile up at her. Placing one hand on the railing and leaning over towards him, Kiki touched a finger to his nose, frowning in concern.

"Good luck," she whispered.

Eskara nodded his head, and then continued on to the ring. He watched from the corner of his eye as Kiki ran back to her seat, waiting until he was sure she was not looking at him before turning to scan the audience for any sign of Kevin Mask.

Eskara quickly located the blue-masked Chojin, muttering a string of vulgar curses as he spotted Broken Junior sitting in front of Kevin; just what he needed: his two least favourite people sitting together.

Eskara tried not to think about either man as he removed his wings, and then entered the ring. He cocked an eyebrow at his opponent, who appeared to look keen to fight. Given Kid's past behaviour, which had portrayed him as nothing short of a coward, Eskara was surprised to see him looking so toned and prepared for battle. Eskara slowly cracked each of his knuckles on both hands, watching Kid Muscle carefully as he did so. Perhaps, he thought to himself, this fight was not going to be as easy as he had predicted after all.

Eskara turned to the ropes in his corner, grabbing onto the top one with both hands, and pulling it back as he squatted down, warming up his muscles for what lay ahead. As he carried out his warm-up, he looked up at Broken and Kevin again, his face darkening. Both men knew too much about him for his own liking. Kevin knew too much about his past, and Broken knew too much about his heart. A confession from either could be enough to ruin his plans right then.

Eskara quickly released the rope, turning his back on them. He shook his arms at his sides, jogging on the spot for a moment, before his eyes fell onto Kiki. Eskara slowly stopped his exercises, subconsciously grabbing a hand at his chest. Kiki had no idea what lay beneath the bird emblem on his chest, and he did not want her to ever find out; but he knew that she would have to find out eventually. He only hoped that he got the chance to explain himself to her, rather than for someone like Kevin Mask to tell her bluntly.

The bell rang to signify the start of the final match-up, and Eskara, pumped full of conflicting emotions, charged at Kid, shocked when the prince leapt out of his way at the last possible second, avoiding his attack. The next thing Eskara felt was Kid's hands chopping into both sides of his neck with tremendous force. The pain of the blows were enough to wake Eskara from his thoughts, and return his focus to the task at hand; defeat Kid Muscle, and send a message to all the pathetic Muscle Leaguers.

Eskara swung around, aiming a right jab at Kid, but again, Kid avoided him with incredible speed. Eskara began throwing punches at Kid in his frustration, but Kid dodged every blow. Realising landing a hit on Kid was almost impossible with his newfound speed, Eskara snatched out and grabbed Kid's arm, throwing him at the ropes and setting up to deliver a clothesline as Kid bounced back towards him.

But as Kid neared Eskara, he let out an enormous fart, propelling himself into the air, and over the top of Eskara's arm as he swung forwards to deliver the clothesline. Eskara stumbled forwards, his arm swinging around through thin air, and his head moving straight into the thick of the green cloud left from Kid's fart.

Eskara choked on the stench, doubling over as he tried to find fresh air. Kid quickly took advantage of Eskara's prone position, and grabbed onto him, dropping him in a vicious piledriver. Eskara landed hard, rolling over and groaning.

Kid leapt up, running over to the cornerpost to shout out to Roxanne.

"Did you see that, Roxanne?" he called to her as he scaled at the ropes.

"Don't get cocky now, Kid!" Meat yelled back at him. "And never turn your back on a guy like Eskara! Don't you remember what happened to Terry when he turned his back on Eskara?"

"Um…"

As Kid puzzled over exactly what had happened to Terry during his match against Eskara, Eskara got to his feet and crept up behind Kid, before quickly grabbing him and lifting him high into the air for a giant suplex. Eskara arched his back as he fell, dropping Kid straight onto his head, and then grinning in delight as the rest of Kid's body slumped to the mat.

Eskara got to his feet, walking over to where Kid lay. He drew back one foot, an evil glint passing over his eyes as he swung his foot forwards with all his might, kicking into Kid's ribs, and rolling him onto his stomach with the force of the blow. Eskara wasted no time in landing a forceful elbow drop onto the small of Kid's back.

Kid instinctively rolled onto his back, arching it up as he groaned in pain. Eskara smirked to himself as he watched Kid writhe in pain, before landing another vicious elbow drop onto Kid's gut, momentarily winding the prince.

Kid turned onto his side, curling up into the foetal position to nurse his wounds as best he could, as Eskara stood over him, his hands on his hips and a sharp-toothed grin on his face.

"So much for da famous Kid Muscle," Eskara taunted him. "Heh, da only part I don't get is how you managed to win all dose other matches you had. I guess it was just dumb luck, huh? Well guess what, Kid Muscle? Your luck ends right here and right now!"

Kid pushed himself up into a sitting position, laughing at Eskara. Eskara's face twisted into a scowl of disgust at Kid's unexpected response to his attempt at intimidation.

"Somethin' funny dere, Kid?" he growled.

"Yeah!" Kid said. "Go ahead, if you think I'm so weak! Finish me off already!"

"Wid pleasure…" Eskara replied, cracking his knuckles again.

Eskara crouched low, then pushed off the mat, soaring into the air. Kevin Mask stood up from his seat, clenching a fist in the air.

"Get up, Kid Muscle!" he yelled. "Get up and fight back!"

"Sit down, Kevin!" Broken Junior insisted, waving a hand over his shoulder at Kevin. "Zhere is nozhing to vorry about! I believe ze kinder has a sneaky plan up his sleeve for Eskara. Never count ze kinder out too soon."

Kevin slowly sat back down, sitting forwards in his seat to watch as Eskara began his descent towards the mat. Broken was proved to be correct then, as Kid leapt up into the air to meet Eskara, setting him up for the Kinniku Buster.

"Oh you dink I'm stupid now, huh?" Eskara said, slipping his head free from Kid's hold. "I knew you was gonna try dat, you dumbass!"

Eskara turned the move around into a falling pedigree, smashing Kid's head and shoulders into the mat. Eskara started to move back from Kid, then leaned over, slapping him over the back of the head as he lay facedown on the canvas. The audience gasped at his act of disrespect, but Eskara barely noticed their reaction, smirking to himself as he eyes the fallen prince.

"You see, Kid, da Kinniku Buster is an old, flawed move," Eskarta explained. "It was less dan perfect, which was why I added da triangle leglock over da opponent's head, to perfect da move, and make it completely flawless. And of course, I renamed it da Ultimate Scar Buster."

"How dare you insult my family move?" Kid cried, pushing himself up from the mat.

"Family move," Eskara scoffed. "Stupid family, stupid move, I say. Face it Kid, da Kinniku Buster is outdated, flawed and useless."

"Oh yeah?" Kid argued back, fuelled to fight on by his anger. "I'll show you outdated, flawed and useless!"

Kid grabbed Eskara, throwing him up into the air, and then leaping up after him. He set Eskara up for the Kinniku Buster again, with renewed determination; but Eskara merely laughed at his attempt.

"I'm tellin' ya, Kid, dis move is flawed and useless!" Eskara taunted him. "Check dis out!"

Eskara then executed the Number Crunch, turning the Kinniku Buster move around to put Kid on the receiving end. Eskara landed with force to the mat, dropping Kid from his shoulders with a grin of smug satisfaction. Kid rolled over, barely conscious, landing by the ropes, facing Meat.

"Meat," Kid said weakly. "Tell me I did it wrong, Meat. Tell me that it was me. Tell me that I messed it up. Tell me it's not true what he says. The Kinniku Buster is perfect, right Meat?"

"Kid, the Kinniku Buster may be a powerful move, but it's always had it's flaws," Meat replied earnestly. "I'm sorry Kid, but he's tellin' the truth."

Kid's eyes rolled back in his head, and he passed out from the effects of the Kinniku Buster.

"Heh, even da Number Crunch is an old move," Eskara said, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

"That's true," Meat agreed. "Buffalo Man was the first one to use that move against King Muscle. But the Number Crunch was one of the best kept secrets of the First Generation of the Muscle League! How did a guy like you get to find out about it, huh?"

Eskara laughed off Meat's remark, and began stomping at Kid's unconscious form.

"So much for da great Kid Muscle, huh?" he yelled, stomping harder and harder on Kid. "Look at you now! Where's your "power of friendship" now, huh? Why ain't you gettin' back up to finish dis fight, huh?"

"Come on, Kid, you gotta get up!" Meat yelled, banging his fists on the ring apron.

"Kid Muscle!" Roxanne wailed.

"Huh?" Trixie muttered, turning as someone appeared between her and Roxanne. "Kevin?"

Roxanne and Meat turned around to look up at Kevin, who was standing against the railings, his gloved fists clenched around the steel bar, looking as though he was ready to leap over towards the ring.

"Vhat vere you zhinking, running down here like zhat?" Broken Junior asked him, as he joined the group by the railings. "I already told you, you are too late to save ze kinder now! Can't you see, ze damage has already been done! It's over!"

"No, you don't understand," Kevin answered, his voice quiet, and sounding as though he was short of breath. "This isn't over. Far from it. Eskara is only just getting started…"

"Now now, Kevin, Eskara is a gradute of ze Hercules Factory!" Broken replied. "I am certain he vill finish zhis match honourably, as he has been trained to do!"

"You're wrong," Kevin insisted. "You've got him all wrong. You have completely underestimated what that man is capable of. All of you have."

"Eskara doesn't care for ze rules, Kevin," Jaeger added. "He has always fought a little bit dirty. But he did graduate at ze top of our class!"

"You don't know him like I do!" Kevin snapped.

"Hey Kevin, if there's something you know about Eskara that you ain't tellin' us, now would be a pretty good time to come clean," Meat said, watching Kevin over his shoulder.

"Ja Kevin, do tell us vhat it is zhat you are hiding about Eskara!" Broken added.

"I… I can't…" Kevin mumbled.

"You can't?" Broken echoed. "I see. Zhis is anozher secret zhat you are hiding. I can tell zhat mask you wear hides more zhan just your face…"

Kevin sighed, tightening his grip on the railings as Eskara kicked Kid towards the edge of the ring, still grinning maniacally.

"This can't go on, I'm goin' in there to end this match myself!" Meat declared.

"No, wait!" Kevin called, reaching out a hand towards Meat.

"Are you ready to talk, Kevin?" Meat asked him.

"Yes," Kevin reluctantly replied.

Kevin leapt over the railings, drawing Eskara's attention away from his limp and motionless opponent. He stalked over to the side of the ring Meat and Kevin stood at, glowering down at them.

"Hey, Mask, ain't you heard?" he growled. "Two on one is against da rules, so you better stay outta my way!"

"I didn't come here to help you or Kid to fight," Kevin spat back at him. "I came here to explain why it is that you know about the Number Crunch."

"You better stop talkin', squealer," Eskara warned.

"You see, I made a deal with Eskara a long time ago," Kevin continued, ignoring Eskara. "He saved my life in return for some vital information. It was during a training session. I slipped, and was destined to fall to my death, but Eskara caught me. He agreed to pull me back up if I told him what I knew about the Kinnku Buster, its weaknesses and the Number Crunch. He need the information because it was the only way he would be able to defeat Kid Muscle. And I knew all about the Kinniku Buster's weaknesses and the Number Crunch because my father once told me the legends' secret when I was a young boy."

"Yeah, and like da pathetic loser dat he is, Kevin squealed out all of daddy's secrets to save his own sorry ass!" Eskara snarled, grabbing onto the top rope.

"But that's not all I know about this man," Kevin said, pointing up at Eskara. "I also know that he has lied about his true identity in order to gain access to the Hercules Factory and membership into the Muscle League. He put on that ridiculous disguise, and he has been calling himself Eskara. His real name is Mars, and he has a heart of pure evil."

"Ooh, big words from a little squealer!" Mars retaliated. "And hey, Mask, since you obviously can't keep you mouth shut about anything, ain't you gonna tell everyone where it was that we was trainin' together when I saved your life?"

Kevin sighed, hanging his head. Meat stepped towards him, frowning up at him expectantly. Kevin moved his eyes to Meat's concerned expression, clenching his fists at his sides. He raised his head to face Mars, taking a deep breath to speak; but a noise behind him made him stop.

"Eskara…"

Kevin turned around to see Kiki standing at the railings, staring up at Mars with a hurt and shocked expression on her face. She looked as though she was about ready to pass out; and Kevin was certain the last piece of information about Mars would be too much for her in her current, weakened state.

"Kiki?"

Kevin turned back to Mars, watching in surprise as Mars's expression softened as he looked down at Kiki. That seemed unusual; Mars had never shown any remorse, any mercy, any emotions other than arrogance and hatred before. And yet he almost looked as though he cared. He almost looked as though he felt guilty.

He almost looked as though he had been hurt.

"I met Mars at the academy," Kevin declared, eventually deciding that it would be best if Kiki learned the whole truth now, before Mars got the chance to hurt her again. "I met him at the Demon Making Plant. He is a member of the DMP, and has been for many years."

Mars's face then twisted back into an expression Kevin was more familiar with: rage.

"Dat's right," he agreed, grabbing the front of his outfit at the chest. "Da squealer's right again. I am a member of da DMP."

Mars tore off the flap of material across the bird emblem on his chest, revealing the jagged black bird emblem that lay beneath, emblazed with the letters DMP. Mars's face remained in a hardened, angered expression for a brief moment longer, before it suddenly dropped back to the vulnerable expression Kevin had seen for the first time only moments ago.

Kevin turned to see what it was that had inspired Mars's change of heart, finding a heavily bandaged Dik Dik Van Dik standing with Kiki in his arms, looking as though she had just fainted and he had caught her in the nick of time. Behind Dik Dik, Checkmate was standing with his arms folded, looking up at Mars.

"I came here to stop the vile fiend, but I see thou hast beaten me to it, Kevin Mask," Checkmate said, turning to Kevin.

Kevin nodded his head, walking back towards the others and stepping over the railing again to rejoin them in the stands.

"You did ze right zhing, mein boy," Broken assured him, patting him on the shoulder.

Kevin turned back to the ring as Vance McMadd and a group of IWF officials rushed over, stopping by the ring apron, looking up at Mars.

"Is this true?" Vance shouted up to Mars. "Is what he said true? Are you a member of the DMP?"

But Mars appeared not to hear any of them. He was still watching Kiki, and his face was still twisted with emotions.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Vance declares the show must go on, and Kid Muscle is forced to fight on against DMP member Mars, as the others try to come to terms with Mars's true identity. **Chapter 15 – Good Vs. Evil!**


	16. Good Vs Evil!

**A/N: ** Sorry if this chapter doesn't take itself as seriously as it should; the "become a doctor…" scene is one of my all-time favs in the show, I just had to get it into this fic!

 **Disclaimer:** If you've read this far, you know the score by now.

 **Recap:** Kevin Mask revealed that Eskara's real name is Mars, and that he is a member of the DMP.

* * *

 **Chapter 15 – Good vs. Evil!**

Kiki slowly opened her eyes, at first only seeing a blur of red, black and white. She blinked several times, until eventually Dik Dik and Checkmate came into focus above her. She gasped, pushing herself away from Dik Dik, glancing back and forth between Dik Dik and Checkmate.

"What the… What happened?" she asked, frowning as she found her mind had suddenly gone blank.

"We came here to warn you all about Mars," Dik Dik quietly answered her. "But Kevin got there before us."

Dik Dik was pointing over Kiki's shoulder, and she turned, first seeing Kevin and Broken in the stands next to her. She slowly moved her eyes to the other side of the railings, where Meat, Vance and a group of IWF officials were standing outside the ring, looking up at the one man standing inside it.

Kiki raised her eyes to Mars, watching his face for a moment, before looking slightly lower, her eyes locking onto the three yellow letters across his chest. She gulped, staggering slightly as the memories of the last few moments came rushing back to her.

Dik Dik gently took hold of her shoulders from behind, steadying her. Kiki turned to smile at him, touching a hand to his in thanks. When she turned back to the ring, Mars had turned his back to her.

"Eska – I mean, Mars – is what Kevin said true?" Vance called to him. "Are you a member of the DMP?"

Mars turned back, looking suddenly angry again, He rolled his eyes, sighing loudly as he reapproached the ropes.

"What do you dink, McMadd?" he asked sarcastically, pointing at the insignia on his chest.

"How did this happen?" Vance asked. "How did you, a member of the DMP, manage to graduate from the Hercules Factory and join the Muscle League?"

"It was simple," Mars casually replied. "You see, I was at da DMP hideout when Sunshine had his little temper tantrum and decided to blow da whole place to bits. Whilst he succeeded in killin' everyone else up dere, alls he managed to do to me was give me a headache dat lasted about two days. I decided den dat I was sick of takin' orders from da idiots who ran da DMP. I decided to become da new leader of da DMP myself. But I knew dat first, I was gonna have to take out Kid Muscle. So I decided to disguise myself and enrol in da Hercules Factory. It wasn't enough for me just to destroy da son of King Muscle. I wanted to show da whole universe what a joke da Muscle League really is. I wanted to take ad whole operation apart from da inside."

"If you really are a member of the DMP like you say you are, you can't possibly be a member of the Muscle League!" Terry shouted, pointing at Mars. "And if you ain't a member of the Muscle League, you can't be takin' part in this here tournament! I say Kid Muscle wins this here bout by disqualification!"

"Go ahead!" Mars shouted back. "Disqualify me. My work here is done, anyways."

Mars pointed at Kid's motionless body, before walking across the ring and stepping over the top rope. Everyone watched in awed silence as he jumped off the ring apron, and slowly made his way back down the aisle towards the backstage area.

"Wait!" Vance shouted.

Mars stopped walking, but did not turn around.

"DMP or not, you are still a graduate of the Hercules Factory," Vance continued. "You joined the programme, you endured the training and you passed all the exams. You've got as much right to be here as Kid Muscle himself. The match will continue."

Mars smirked to himself, turning around and walking back to the ring. He slid back in beneath the bottom rope, walking over to where Kid lay. Kid groaned as he awoke, dragging himself towards the ropes.

"Kid!" Meat said, running around to where Kid lay.

"Meat, I can't go on," Kid groaned.

"You gotta, Kid!" Meat insisted. "You gotta get up and fight this villain!"

"But I'm so hungry!" Kid whinged. "Can't I just get a bowl of cow and rice, just to give me some energy to carry on?"

"I don't think you got time for a snack break right now, Kid," Meat warned.

Kid pulled himself up into a sitting position, and began to sing his song about cow and rice regardless, unaware of the effect his chirpy and inane actions were having on his less than tolerant opponent. Behind him, Mars grew infuriated, and pulled down his visor, turning his headdress bright yellow.

"Enough of dis crap!" he snarled, grabbing Kid by the tuft of hair at his forehead.

Mars pulled Kid to his feet, but Kid quickly swung a punch at Mars's gut, screaming in shock and pain as his hand bounced off of Mars's abdomen and hit into his own jaw.

"What the…?" Kid muttered.

Kid launched himself at Mars, knocking him down to the canvas with a flying tackle; but no sooner had they landed than Mars grabbed Kid with his legs, holding him in place to begin an assault on the prince. Mars began punching relentlessly at Kid's face. Kid began to look dazed again, but the cheers of his friends quickly brought him to his senses, and he landed a vicious headbutt to Mars, who instinctively released Kid upon the impact, allowing him to roll free.

Kid grabbed onto one of Mars's ankles, turning around and attempting to apply an ankle lock; but Mars placed his other foot on Kid's back, and shoved him away with enough force to send Kid into the cornerpost with a sickeningly thud.

Kid staggered back from the post, and then fell to his knees, grabbing at the ropes to support himself.

"Meat, what am I gonna do?" he asked weakly.

"You gotta come up with a new move, Kid!" Meat replied.

"Ja, it's true, Kid," Broken Junior called to him. "Mars knows ze counter for every move you have learned at ze Hercules Factory. Your only hope of vinning is to invent a new move, von he does not know ze counter for!"

"A new move?" Kid muttered, rolling his eyes to the ceiling thoughtfully. "But I've always won using my old man's moves. I don't know what else to do if the Kinniku Buster won't work."

"Pathetic," Mars spat, standing up behind Kid. "You know, dose DMP guys you fought before must have been da rejects to lose to a weakling like you."

"Kid, get up!" Meat warned.

Kid pulled himself to his feet with the aid of the ropes, turning to see Mars racing towards him. At the last possible second, Kid ducked down, grabbing Mars and throwing him over his shoulder, throwing him outside of the ring. Kid staggered forwards, rubbing his head. An odd scraping sound behind him caused him to spin around, his eyes widening as he saw Mars once again using his hardened coattails to cut out a divet of concrete.

"I call dis little move da Swallowtail Shovel," Mars said with a grin, spinning around to kick the chunk of concrete towards the ring.

"Kid look out!" Roxanne screamed.

Kid tried to dodge the flying rock, but it caught his shoulder, throwing back down to the canvas and landing on his chest.

"This is all my fault," Kevin sighed, shaking his head. "I should have just accepted my fate that day. I shouldn't have let Mars save me. There was no honour in what I did."

"But Kevin, all you did was tell Mars how to defeat the Kinniku Buster!" Meat said. "If it wasn't Mars, someone else would have figured it out eventually. The Kinniku Buster has always had its flaws! You've actually done the kid a big favour! Now that he can see the move is flawed, he can develop as a wrestler, rely less on one move, invent a whole new arsenal of moves!"

"I hope you're right…" Kevin muttered, looking up at the ring.

Meat turned around to see Mars dragging Kid up the corner of the ring. He watched in silent horror as Mars suplexed Kid off the top rope, smashing Kid's head and neck against the outside corner of the mat.

"Ze kinder is just a big sissy!" Broken said. "He is too frightened to step out of his fazher's shadow. He vill never vin like zhis!"

"Hey, give the kid a break!" Meat argued back. "He'll think of something, I know he will. He always does. He works better under pressure. When it seems like all hope is lost, that's when the kid pulls off something spectacular. It's a Kinniku family trait!"

"Vell, he is going to have to zhink very fast," Broken replied, pointing at the ring.

Inside the ring, Mars was standing in the centre of the ring, holding Kid up by his hair and his belt. Gripping tightly, Mars threw Kid up into the air, leaping up after him and grabbing him into the Ultimate Scar Buster. Mars successfully locked Kid into the move, and began his descent, victory seeming certain.

"Kid Muscle, no!"

Mars faltered, loosening his hold on Kid, his face dropping as he realised Kiki was cheering for his opponent. Kid quickly took advantage of Mars's distraction, slipping out of the hold and moving around to Mars's back. Kid swung one foot back, his heel driving into the lower left side of Mars's back.

Mars let out a scream of agony, twisting over to cover the point of impact with both hands. Due to his twisted position, Mars landed awkwardly on the mat, causing himself even more pain and discomfort. Kid staggered to his feet, grinning to himself.

"See, I invented a new move and a counter for the Ultimate Scar Buster!" he said, grinning at Meat and Broken.

"I dunno, Mars seems to be in a lotta pain, considering all you did was kick him, Kid…" Meat replied sceptically.

"Kid has reopened an old wound on Mars's back," Kevin explained. "When Mars saved my life that day, he inadvertently rolled onto a spike in the log we were hanging from. He had to keep going in order to pull me up, and ended up driving the spike deep into his back. I suppose now that would be his weak spot."

"Y'hear that, Kid?" Meat shouted to Kid. "You gotta go for his weak spot!"

"Yeah," Kid agreed. "I need to attack his back somehow…"

Mars got to his feet again behind Kid, looking even more furious than ever.

"Kid, behind you!" Meat warned.

Kid turned around, ducking to avoid Mars as he aimed a clothesline at Kid's head. Kid quickly ran to the other side of the ring, and then charged at Mars's back, aiming himself at Mars like a spear. His head collided with Mars's back, and he fell, facedown, to the mat. Mars – who was completely unscathed by Kid's attack – turned around, looking down at him with a puzzled expression. He eventually just shrugged his shoulders, then began to attack Kid's exposed back with a series of elbow drops.

Mars then leapt up into the air, his coattails hardening at his back again.

"Swallowtail!" he yelled, aiming the spikes at Kid.

Kid leapt out of the way, running across the ring. Mars quickly shifted his position to land on his feet, his face twisting as Kid's head collided with his back again.

"Kid, what are you doing?" Roxanne yelled at the ring. "Can't you see it's not working?"

Mars shook his head at Kid, grabbing him by the tuft of hair at his forehead again and dragging him over to the corner of the ring. Mars climbed up to the top rope, walking along it with the grace of a man less than half his size, dragging Kid along below him. He then locked his legs onto Kid's head and rolled over, executing a frankensteiner on Kid.

With Kid knocked down, Mars leapt up into the air, setting up for his swallowtail attack again.

"Kid, get up, now!" Meat yelled, smacking his hands off the ring apron.

"Kid Muscle!" Roxanne wailed.

"Repeat, Swallowtail!" Mars yelled, racing down towards Kid.

Roxanne screamed and turned away as Mars's bladed coattails hit their target, piercing into Kid's gut.

"Kid!" Meat gasped, watching in horror as Kid passed out.

In his unconscious state, Kid found himself remembering back to his childhood. He remembered his father telling him that the secret of becoming a truly great wrestler was to invent his very own moves. His father told him to use every part of the ring to help him fight: the ropes, the ringposts and all of the mat. King Muscle told his son to always be creative, and think outside the box when inventing new moves; that was the sign of a truly great wrestler.

"You must invent your own moves, my son," he heard his father tell him. "That is the path to becoming a true champion, to really standing out from all the other wrestlers. Nothing you could do would make me prouder. Unless, of course, you somehow manage to become a doctor."

Kid slowly came to, blinking back the fuzziness of his dreamworld to see Mars coming towards him.

"Thanks dad," Kid said quietly. "I now know what I have to do!"

"Become a doctor…" his father's voice echoed through his head.

"No, invent my own moves!" Kid argued back aloud.

Mars grabbed Kid's hair again, pulling him to his feet. He grabbed onto Kid and started to jump up to execute the Ultimate Scar Buster; but his ascent was halted midair, as Kid grabbed onto a cornerpost with both arms.

"Hey, what're you doin'?" Mars barked. "Let go!"

"No way!" Kid yelled back, gripping his arms tighter around the steel post.

Mars wrenched harder at Kid, and they were both launched into the air as the cornerpost came loose from the ring. Mars tried to set Kid up to deliver his finishing move, but Kid swung the cornerpost around, smacking it hard between Mars's legs.

Mars screamed, releasing Kid and curling over in pain.

"You dirty rat!" Mars said hoarsely, grabbing at Kid again, trying to set him up for the Ultimate Scar Buster.

Kid pushed Mars off, turning around to position Mars for the Kinniku Buster. Mars merely laughed at Kid's attempt to fight back.

"Man, you really are stupid, ain't ya?" he taunted Kid. "Ain't you realised yet dat dis move don't work no more?"

"Then how about this?" Kid replied, turning Mars around to face in the opposite direction.

"Huh?"

"Reverse front-to-back Kinniku Buster!"

Kid landed back in the ring, delivering the reversed Kinniku Buster to Mars, who yelled out in pain as the wound on his back was reopened yet again from the force of the impact. Mars rolled over onto all fours, grinding his teeth as the pain of his old wound overpowered him. He turned his head to check on Kid, finding that Kid was already on his feet again.

Kid charged towards Mars, but Mars quickly leapt up, swinging around to slash Kid's chest with his Swallowtail. Kid fell onto his back, looking as though his fighting spirit was rapidly diminishing. Mars sighed with relief, ready to finish the match at last.

"It's no good, Meat," Kid moaned. "He's just too tough! There's no way I can beat this guy! He's invincible!"

"Kid, get up!" Roxanne shouted to him. "You can't give up! Not now! Look at your friends! They all fought hard, they gave it all they had! None of them quit!"

"I guess you're right…" Kid quietly agreed.

"Remember how hard Wally fought against Hydrozoa? And Terry and Dik Dik gave their all against Mars! You have to do the same!" Roxanne continued.

"Wally and Terry and Dik Dik…" Kid mumbled, eying his three friends in the audience.

"And if you don't get up, you're gonna have me to answer to, Kid Muscle!" Roxanne added, waving a fist at her boyfriend.

Feeling inspired by Roxanne's words of encouragement and the memories of how hard his friends had fought in the tournament, Kid got to his feet, powering up to Ultimate Muscle.

"Come on, Mars, let's finish this!" he yelled at Mars.

"Heh, wid pleasure…" Mars calmly replied.

Mars then ran at Kid, but Kid dodged out of his way, grabbing Mars from behind and throwing him up into the air. Kid then ran back to the ropes at the other side of the ring, jumping against them and stretching as far back as they would go. Kid was then launched forwards at a tremendous speed, moving himself into a spear shape as he flew forwards, aiming his head at Mars's falling body.

As Kid met with Mars, he grabbed Mars's arms, holding them out behind his back, and driving his head into the small of Mars's back. Mars was forced into the ring ropes at the opposite side of the ring with great force, the ropes bursting through his nose and thighs.

As they were propelled back into the ring, Kid released Mars, staggering back to watch as Mars fell to the mat, lying motionless.

"You did it Kid!" Meat cheered.

"Alright!" Kid rejoiced, throwing both fists into the air above his head.

The audience began to cheer Kid for his victory, but quietened down again as Mars got to his feet, staggering towards Kid.

"Hey Kid, you taught me somethin' today," Mars said, swaying as he tried to stand in front of Kid. "And I'm not talkin' about all dat "power of friendship" crap. No. I'm talkin' about you, Kid Muscle. I learned today dat you never give up, no matter what, you fight on. And you know what Kid? I ain't gonna give up neither. Da fight between good and evil is a fun one, Kid. I only wish I had da strength to carry on wid it right now. But I'll be back to finish dis, Kid. I promise."

Mars then collapsed at Kid's feet. Kid watched him for a moment, making absolutely sure that he would not rise again before sighing with relief that he had finally defeated the seemingly invincible Mars.

"And the winner is, Kid Muscle!" Vance announced.

The audience broke into a cheer for Kid, as his fellow Muscle Leaguers leapt into the ring to congratulate him. Vance stepped into the ring, raising Kid's hand, and drawing a louder cheer from the audience. Roxanne, Trixie, Jaeger and Broken followed the others into the ring to congratulate Kid, leaving Kiki alone with Kevin Mask and Checkmate.

"I'm sorry," Kevin said softly, placing a hand on Kiki's shoulder.

"It's not your fault," she replied, watching as four paramedics struggled to load Mars's large body onto a stretcher.

"I should have said something sooner," Kevin added.

"Fear not, Kevin," Checkmate said brightly. "The young lady no longer needs that rogue. Me thinks she will find ample consolation in the arms of another…"

Kevin and Kiki turned to the ring, following the direction Checkmate was pointing. Kevin nodded his agreement as his eyes landed on the wounded Dik Dik; but Kiki yelped, clapping a hand over her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Kiki?" Kevin said.

But Kiki turned away from the ring and ran off, her short stature causing her to quickly disappear in the crowd. Kevin turned back to face the ring, finding himself confronted by Roxanne.

"What just happened there?" Roxanne asked. "Where did Kiki go?"

"I don't know," Kevin replied. "She just ran off for no reason. But maybe she needs some time alone."

"Maybe…" Roxanne agreed. "But at least when I need to find her, I'll know exactly where to look…"

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Kid has won, and secured himself and his friends a place on Earth; but what will become of Generation X, and DMP member Mars?


	17. Demon Making Plant

**Disclaimer:** Me no own it!

 **Recap:** After a gruelling battle, Kid Muscle was victorious against the evil Mars. Kiki was a bit upset.

* * *

 **Chapter 16 – Demon Making Plant**

Kiki groaned, screwing up her face as she woke up with a nagging pain down one side of her face. She lifted her head, blinking away the remnants of her slumber, glancing around herself. It was extremely bright and sunny, and her bed did not feel nearly as comfortable as it usually did.

Kiki pressed her hands down, screaming as one slipped and fell below her. She looked down, wondering why all she could see beneath herself was a giant log.

"Oh God…" she groaned, sitting up and surveying her surroundings. "I slept in the tree…"

Kiki swung one leg over the thick branch, dropping herself to the ground. She stood for a moment, scanning the faces of those around her, who were all watching her as though she had gone stark raving mad. She tried to smile, but her knees suddenly began to shake, and Kiki found herself falling to the grass.

She curled over, grabbing her hands at the grass as she began to sob again. How? Why? There were so many questions racing through her mind, she was exhausted just thinking about them all; and that was after sleeping the entire night (albeit in the branches of a tree).

How? How had Mars managed to slip through the system? How had he managed to pass himself off so well as a Muscle Leaguer?

Why? Why had he done it? Why had no-one noticed his deception before? Why had Kevin Mask not warned them all before the tournament had even begun? Why had Mars lied to Kiki the way he had? Why had she believed him?

"I am such an idiot…" she groaned, pushing herself to her feet. "I only got what I deserved… I should have listened to Trixie…"

Kiki staggered through the park, ignoring the curious looks she got from those around her. She was silently thankful that her parents were still on holiday, as they would have killed her for staying out all night; and she really did not want to speak to her family right then, anyway.

Kiki staggered aimlessly all the way to the front door of her house, falling against it with a thud as she raked a hand through the contents of her handbag, eventually retrieving her keys. She opened the door, staggered inside, closed the door again, and then wandered up to her bedroom, where she fell, facedown, onto her bed.

Kiki groaned and moaned to herself in a series of grunts and sobs, before hauling herself fully onto the bed, and turning onto her back. Spreading her arms and legs out at her sides, she stared at the roof for a moment, snivelling as more tears burned at her eyes.

"It's all your fault!" she sobbed, pointing at her poster of Kevin Mask.

Kiki began to sob louder and with more force then as she realised that not only was she seeking consolation through a tenuous transferral of blame, but that she was also speaking to a giant piece of glossy paper; and she suddenly realised why Mars had looked so awkward when he had seen the poster that night she had taken him up to her room.

And, as she thought back, she realised why he had run away from her the night they had first kissed. He had spotted Checkmate with Dik Dik, and knew that Checkmate would recognise him from the DMP. Not wanting his disguise to be revealed at such a crucial point in the tournament, he had run off.

But then why had he lied to her? Why had he seduced her like that? Had Trixie been right all along? Was Kiki's only attractive feature her inside knowledge of the Muscle Leaguers? If that really was the reason, it certainly did seem to explain a lot of things.

Kiki slowly sat up, rubbing at her nose with her fist. Mars had never explicitly asked her about Kid, or Dik Dik or Terry. He had never asked what their strategies against him would be. He had never asked her to interfere in any of his matches in any way, and he had never asked her to retrieve any inside information on his behalf. He had never mistreated her, he had never threatened her and he had never shown any signs of being an evil member of the DMP prior to his match against Kid. He had always been polite and gentle, and portrayed the image of the ideal Hercules Factory graduate, and top member of the Muscle League.

It just did not make any sense.

Kiki swung her legs over the edge of the bed, her tears drying as she thought sensibly for the first time about the whole situation. There was no proof that Mars had ever really cared for her, but equally, there was no proof that he had not. The most overwhelming argument in Kiki's mind was what had happened at the lake two nights previously.

Kiki slowly stood up, scratching her head absent-mindedly. What had happened at the lake could have been interpreted as either a spur of the moment, passionate fling, or it could be seen as something much deeper. At first, it seemed to Kiki that it had been the former; she had happened to find the IWF's most sought after bachelor alone one night, and he had taken advantage of an easy situation.

But with a little more thought, Kiki believed it was the latter. It was not so much what had happened that night, but more what had happened immediately afterwards.

Kiki took a step towards her bedroom door, pausing as something caught her eye. She turned towards her full-length mirror, cocking a half-amused, half-mortified, smirk at what she saw.

"Look at the state of me," she muttered to herself. "I can't very well confront him like this…"

* * *

Kiki walked quickly, her hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket, her head tilted downwards, her eyes fixed on her feet. Her mind was all but blank, and while it stayed that way, she was determined to find the answers to her questions once and for all.

"What?!"

Kiki skidded to a halt at the sound of the irate voice ahead of her, looking up to see Terry standing outside the diner, looking shocked and angry.

"I can explain," Trixie said weakly, touching a hand to Terry's arm.

"Get away from me!" Terry yelled, swinging his arm up.

Trixie pulled her hand back, fighting back tears as she looked up at him.

"I'm sorry," she offered.

"Sorry?" Terry repeated. "You're sorry? How the…"

"It was an accident, Terry, it won't happen again, you gotta believe me!" Trixie pleaded.

"An accident?" Terry roared. "How in the hell could it be an accident? What, did you slip, fall outta your panties and land on his-"

"Whoa, Terry, calm down!" Wally said, quickly leaping between the two.

"I just…" Terry began, fighting back his emotions as he tried to form his thoughts into words. "I thought that… Never mind…"

Terry turned away from them, walking off at a brisk pace. Trixie started after him, calling out his name; but Wally held up an arm to stop her.

"Best leave him to work this one out on his own for now," Wally advised.

"But it was an accident!" Trixie wailed. "You believe me, don't you Wally? I never meant for it to happen!"

Kiki watched on numbly as Trixie began to sob relentlessly. Part of her felt sorry for her friend, but another part of her wanted to laugh out loud; particularly at Trixie's attempts to pass off her cheating as an accident. Wally guided Trixie back into the diner, leaving Kiki alone in the street once more. She turned away again, and walked on, not stopping again until she reached the reception desk inside the KO hospital.

"Hi, could you tell which ward Mars is in?" she asked.

"Are you a friend or family?" the woman at the desk asked.

"I'm a friend," Kiki replied.

"I'm sorry, only family are allowed to visit."

"Oh."

Kiki backed away from the desk, balling her fists in frustration. She did not want to have to wait any longer; she was ready to confront him now.

"Kiki?"

Kiki turned at the sound of her name, finding Dik Dik smiling at her.

"Hi," she said awkwardly, avoiding his eyes.

"He's on the tenth floor, the fourth door on the left," Dik Dik offered.

Kiki lifted her eyes to his, unable to contain her smile.

"You're welcome," he said with a nod of his head.

Kiki nodded her head, running past him to the elevator. She began frantically pressing the up arrow, turning to look over her shoulder as the door eventually opened. Dik Dik was still watching her, and she waved a hand at him before stepping into the elevator. He waved back, smiling warmly.

Kiki then stepped back out of his sight, letting out a shuddering sigh as the doors shut on her. She was alone in the elevator, and was surprised that no-one else joined her as she ascended towards her destination. She watched as the numbers lit with every floor she passed, each new number increasing her anxiety. When the number 10 eventually lit, she gulped, watching the doors slide open.

Kiki stepped out of the elevator, starting down the hall.

"Fourth door on the left," she said to herself. "One… Two… Three…"

Kiki stopped abruptly a short way past the third door, her eyes locking onto the fourth one. It was slightly open, but she could not see into the room from the angle she was standing at.

"Oh God…" she muttered, reaching a hand up to her head.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"I can do this," she told herself firmly.

Kiki took her hand from her head, looking at in disgust as it quivered in front of her face.

"Now or never!" she growled through clenched teeth.

Kiki marched up to the door, pushed it open, and walked into the room.

"Oh my God!" she gasped, clasping a hand over her open mouth.

"Kiki?" Mars said, his voice hoarse.

Kiki paused, running her eyes over him carefully. She had not expected to find him as she had, and his appearance had momentarily caught her off guard.

Mars was in a small room, with only his bed in it. He was sitting up in the hospital bed, slouched against the pillows, and with the sheets covering the lower half of his body. His upper body was bare, but he was still wearing his headdress. Both of his eyes were purple and badly swollen, and he had a thick wad of gauze taped across his nose and cheekbones. His chest and arms were littered with fading bruises and scratches, but the injury on his face was by far the worst.

"Mars?" Kiki said cautiously, stepping closer to him.

He squinted harder, making Kiki wonder if he could even see; his eyes were so swollen, they looked as though they were swollen shut. Kiki walked closer to him, walking around to one side of his bed. Upon closer inspection, Kiki saw that Mars's eyes were still visible, but the whites had turned completely red, and his pupils were so dilated, there was only a very thin ring of gold around them.

"Kiki!" he said, smiling at her and reaching a hand out towards her. "You came back!"

Kiki carefully sat down in the chair by his bedside, moving her hand out of his reach. His face dropped, and he looked hurt by her rejection.

"Why did you lie to me?" she asked.

"What?" he echoed innocently.

"You lied to me," Kiki said firmly. "Why?"

"I never lied to you, sweetheart!"

"Yes you did! You never told me you were an evil supervillain from the DMP!"

"Yeah, but you never asked if I was an evil supervillain from da DMP."

"Of course I never asked! You told me you were a superhero from the Muscle League, and like the idiot that I am, I believed you!"

"I never told you I was a superhero from da Muscle League either."

"You…"

Kiki paused, thinking Mars's words over. He was right. He had never specifically told her that he was a member of the DMP, but he had also never claimed outright that he was a member of the Muscle League.

"You told me you were a graduate of the Hercules Factory!" she recovered, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"I am," he replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Okay…"

"Kiki, I know it was wrong of me not to tell you who I really was, but I came here on a mission, and dat mission was to destroy da Muscle League. And I couldn't have done dat if I'd gone around advertisin' da fact dat I was in da DMP."

"But why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't lie to you, sweetheart. But I can see dat I did hurt you. And I'm sorry for dat."

"You didn't hurt me."

Kiki sniffed sharply, trying to hold back the tears threatening to burst from her eyes.

"Den why are you cryin'?" Mars asked, touching the back of his hand to Kiki's cheek.

"Don't touch me!" she moaned, pushing his hand away. "You were just using me!"

"Hey, now dat's just not true!" Mars quickly defended himself. "But you gotta also understand dat what McMadd said durin' my match ain't gonna apply no more. He may have said he honoured my graduation, and he was gonna let me carry on in da Muscle League, but I don't reckon he feels dat way no more. I could never be a pathetic sap like dose other Muscle League guys, and I don't dink dey would ever see me any other way dan as da demon I was trained to be. And no doubt by now da DMP will have heard all about what I tried to do. I can't go back to da DMP now, and I can't stay here wid da Muscle League. I'm gonna have to leave, sweetheart."

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah. But I'm real glad you came here today. I wanted to ask you if you would come wid me."

"What?"

"It would just be you and me. We could leave dis place, and start a new life someplace else. What do ya say, sweetheart?"

Kiki froze, the true implications of Mars's offer slowly sinking into her mind. His offer was serious, and she was going to have to decide what to do right there and then.

On one hand, she could agree to go with him. Deep down, Kiki knew that she reason she was so upset was because she cared so much about him, and she was afraid of losing him. Kiki had long felt that she was outgrowing her life, and running away with Mars would allow her the fresh start she longed for. The thought of living life on the run from the DMP and the Muscle League made the situation seem more romantic than it probably was; they would be just like Bonnie and Clyde.

On the other hand, Kiki had secured a place at college, and she had been looking forward to moving into the city with Roxanne and Trixie, and living as a student for the next three years. Kiki did not want to leave her family without even knowing where she was going. How would they survive without a place to stay, and without any money? And she was still very fond of the Muscle Leaguers: Kid Muscle, Terry Kenyon, Wally Tusket and Dik Dik Van Dik. They would see her as a traitor if she ran away with a member of the DMP. And Mars had said himself that he was a demon; could she really trust him? He had already proved himself to be deceitful.

Kiki began to become even more confused as the pros and cons of each of her respective decisions raced through her mind. The Kiki everyone knew and loved would say no to Mars. That Kiki was the good girl who always followed the rules, and never did anything spontaneous, irresponsible or unexpected. That Kiki was well-loved by her friends and family, but she was also extremely boring.

The daredevil in Kiki would say yes to Mars. Mars was the embodiment of everything Kiki herself would love to be. He was independent, strong, decisive, ambitious and a rebel. Rules and other people's opinions did not concern him; he was a free spirit without a care in the world. Life with Mars was new and frightening, but it was also very exciting.

"I think I need to think about it," Kiki eventually answered him.

Mars smiled, nodding his head.

"Sure, sweetheart, I understand," he assured her. "Just don't take too long about it, yeah? I wanna be able to leave dis place tomorrow. If you're comin' wid me, you gotta get back here before noon tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," Kiki agreed.

"If you ain't here by den, I'm gonna have to go alone."

Kiki nodded, rising to her feet.

"Goodbye, Mars," she said softly, speaking his true name for the first time.

She leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips, standing back again quickly. Mars started to reach his hands out towards her, but she backed out of his reach.

"Goodbye," she said again.

"Goodbye, Kiki," he said.

Kiki turned on her heel, walking out of the room again. She headed back towards the elevator in a daze, pressing the down arrow and stepping back into the elevator as the doors opened. In her dreamlike state, she did not even notice Dik Dik standing by the door of Mars's room, where he had overheard their entire conversation. He watched her darkly until she had disappeared from his sight, before turning back towards the stairwell to return to the ground floor.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Kiki makes her decision, Trixie makes a decision, and Roxanne is on the receiving end of an interesting proposition. **Chapter 17 – Will She/Won't She?** (Final chapter)


	18. Will SheWon't She?

**Disclaimer:** I don't even own my screen/pen-name, what makes you think I own the fantastic Ultimate Muscle?!

 **Recap:** Terry found out about Trixie's cheating ways, and Mars asked Kiki to run away with him. What will the repercussions be?

* * *

 **Chapter 17 – Will She/Won't She?**

Kiki pulled her rucksack over her shoulders, looking around her bedroom one last time. Her brow was furrowed with the weight of her concerns, but a glance at the clock reminded her she did not have long left. It was already after 11, and if she wanted to catch Mars, she would have to get to the hospital before midday, just like he had asked.

She was still wracked with doubt; she had not slept at all as she had debated her decision over and over in her mind. But, despite the hours of thought she had already devoted to her decision, she had eventually come to the conclusion that her first reaction to Mars's proposition had been the correct one. Her gut reaction had come from the heart, and her mind could see the logic in it; but there was still a small part of her that held onto the alternative option, playing it out in her mind as she tried to maintain her focus.

Kiki started towards the door, stopping as she levelled with her Kevin Mask poster. She screwed up her face as she looked up at him, still unable to justify his silence over the Mars issue in her mind. She slapped a hand onto his crotch area, and clawed her fingers into the paper, ripping it in the process. She pulled sharply, tearing him from her wall. Hardening her features in stubborn resolve, Kiki tore up the poster, and then opened out her hands, watching as the shreds of her former hero fluttered to the ground.

"Good riddance, Kevin Mask," she whispered.

Kiki took one final look around her room, and then walked boldly out the door. She was again glad that her parents were gone; they could not have timed their holiday better as far as she was concerned. This way she was free to make her decision on her own, and to carry it out without any complications.

Outside, it was another fantastically warm and bright day. Kiki smiled to herself as she watched two of the neighbourhood children chasing each other, giggling and squealing in delight. Kiki walked slowly down the garden path towards the street, remembering how Mars had tried to warn her against walking through the park in the dark. He had not accepted her excuse of the area being a nice neighbourhood, but she was sure if he could have seen it through her eyes, if he could have seen the neighbourhood as she saw it now, he would have agreed with her.

Kiki turned away from the children, walking down the street towards the park. As she neared the entrance, she could make out the top of the tallest tree in the park; the tree she was famed for climbing and hiding in when her troubles got her down. The tree she had slept in the night before last; but, she told herself firmly, she would never hide in that tree again. Hiding in that tree was something the childish, old Kiki would do. And she was the new, grown-up Kiki.

Kiki walked through the park, ignoring her tree sanctuary, heading onwards to the street the diner stood on. Despite not wanting to see anyone she knew at that particular moment, Kiki found herself watching the diner as she passed it. It was quite busy inside, but after three thorough checks of every table, Kiki could confirm that none of her close friends or any of the Muscle Leaguers were in there.

Looking into the diner did bring back some fond memories for Kiki however. For as long as she could remember, she had been going to the diner with Roxanne and Trixie, where the three girls shared their stories about boys, family, school, life and the IWF. Kiki was going to miss walking to the diner every day to meet her friends; but it was time to move on.

The KO hospital came into view as Kiki neared the end of the street, and, glancing at her watch, she saw that she had 45 minutes to spare before Mars's deadline. She took a deep breath, and crossed the road towards the hospital entrance, only to stop short as her mobile phone began to ring.

"Damn…" she muttered, delving her hands into her jacket pockets in search of her phone.

Kiki had no intentions of answering the call, as the last thing she needed right then was someone to try to talk her in or out of her decision; but when she saw the name on the caller display, she changed her mind.

"Trixie?" she answered the call.

Kiki waited for Trixie to answer her, but all she could hear was the whistle of wind passing the speaker. Kiki frowned, wondering if it had just been a mistake. She pulled the phone from her ear, frowning at it for a moment, before hanging it up. She started towards the hospital door again, but stopped again as she began to grow worried.

What if something awful had happened to Trixie? What if Trixie was being attacked somewhere, and she had tried to call for help, only for her attackers to steal her phone off her before she got the chance to speak?

Kiki reminded herself that, given her recent behaviour, Trixie was more likely than not enjoying herself in the company of another man; but Kiki knew she would never be able to live with the guilt she would inevitably feel if she ignored Trixie's call, and something bad happened to her friend as a result of her negligence.

As she was debating what to do next, Kiki's phone buzzed to alert her that she had received a text message. Looking down, she saw that it was from Trixie.

"Thank God," she muttered, opening the message to read it. "Kiki, I need your help. At the lake. Tripped over, and can't get up. Don't think it's bad, but can you get here ASAP? I can't walk home alone."

Kiki quickly dropped her phone back into her pocket, and then ran off in the direction of the lake. It seemed very odd to her that Trixie would even be at the lake in the first place; it was not the sort of place she frequented. Kiki contemplated going back to the hospital and asking them to send an ambulance for her friend, leaving her free to go to Mars; but Trixie had said that she did not think it was serious, and so calling for an ambulance was probably over-reacting.

Kiki glanced at her watch several times as she neared the lake, quietly hoping that she would still have enough time to take Trixie home before going back to the hospital. She decided that if she ran out of time, she would just take Trixie to the hospital and leave her there. At least at the hospital she could have any wounds attended to, and the doctors would call her parents to collect her themselves.

By the time Kiki reached the lake, it was almost 11:30, and her heartbeat had increased from more than just the energy she had burned up running all the way there. She looked around herself irritably, trying to locate Trixie. The lake was, as usual, completely deserted, leaving Kiki to assume that Trixie had somehow fallen at the other side of the water, and was hidden amongst the trees.

Looking around herself, Kiki came to the reluctant conclusion that there were only two ways to reach the trees. She could either walk all the way around the edge of the vast lake, climbing up the hill that sloped around one side, then down again and through the trees, or she could just swim across the water. Although the second option was by far the least appealing to her, it would be the quickest option, and time was not on her side.

Kiki walked up to the water's edge, pausing as she remembered just how cold the water had been the night she had swum with Mars. She looked up again, squinting over at the trees. As she tried to search for any sign of her friend, Kiki retrieved her phone, dialling Trixie's number.

She waited, tapping a foot impatiently against the ground as the phone rang repeatedly in her ear.

"Kiki?" Trixie eventually answered.

"Oh my God, Trixie are you okay?" Kiki gasped, as she heard Trixie's tearful voice.

"No, Kiki!" Trixie wailed. "It's just awful! What am I going to do?"

"Just hold on!" Kiki assured her. "Stay right where you are, and don't move! I'll get there as soon as I can!"

Kiki hung up her phone and dropped it to the ground. She pulled off her rucksack and her jacket, placing them down beside her phone. She then hurriedly tore off her shoes, dropping them by the rest of her belongings.

"Hold on, Trixie," she said under her breath.

Kiki clenched her teeth together tightly, bracing herself for the cold of the water as she ran into the lake. She squeaked involuntarily at the back of her throat as the water level rose around her, soaking through her clothes and sending a series of shivers through her body.

"Trixie!" she yelled at the trees. "I'm coming!"

Kiki then took a deep breath and dove into the water, immersing herself in the chilly depths of the lake. As her head bobbed up above the water level again, she gasped in shock; but her determination kept her going.

Kiki swam all the way across the lake, stumbling out into the thick of the trees, dripping wet and shivering all over.

"Trixie?" she called, surveying the woodland for any trace of her friend.

Kiki ran to one end of the trees and then the other, shouting for Trixie as she went. But she received no reply, and she saw no trace of her friend.

"Trixie!" she yelled into the air, panic gripping her.

Kiki looked down at her watch, her eyes widening as she saw that she had less than 20 minutes to get to the hospital. If she wanted to get to Mars before he left her life forever, she was going to have to go back to the hospital immediately; but what about Trixie? She could not just leave her friend at such a time of need.

Kiki screamed in frustration, stamping a foot against the ground.

"Why now?" she cried, turning back to the lake. "Life sucks!"

Kiki waded back into the water, swimming back across the lake as fast as she could. As she reached the last stretch of water, she waded her way out again, grabbing up her phone and dialling Trixie's number again.

"Kiki, where are you?" Trixie asked her.

"At the lake, looking for you," Kiki tightly replied through clenched teeth. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the hospital, looking for you!" Trixie plainly replied. "Why did you go to the lake?"

"Because you told me you were down here!" Kiki growled.

"No I didn't!"

"You what?"

"I never said that! Look, Kiki, you have to get down here right now, something's happened to Mars. I thought it was only fair to let you know."

"What? Oh my God, I'm on my way!"

Kiki hung up her phone and hurriedly pulled her shoes back onto her feet. She grabbed up her jacket and her bag, and ran back towards the hospital, silently praying as she ran that whatever had happened to Mars was nothing bad or serious. In her blind panic, Kiki never gave a second thought to the confusion over Trixie's whereabouts.

Kiki skidded into the hospital reception, looking around for any trace of Trixie. An elderly man hunched over a zimmer frame stuttered to a halt, staring at her in disbelief as she stood shivering on the spot, water dripping from her hair and her clothing, forming puddles at her feet.

The chime of the elevator doors opening drew Kiki's attention to their presence, and she ran straight into the open elevator, not even bothering to check which direction it was heading. She jabbed a finger onto the number 10, drumming her fingers nervously against her elbows as the doors slid shut.

Kiki wiped strands of her hair from her eyes, slowly becoming aware of the fact that those who shared the compact elevator compartment with her were standing back from her, and glaring at her as though she would be better placed in a psychiatric ward than a general hospital. Kiki smiled nervously at them, unable to stop herself from shuddering violently as her cold, wet clothes clung to her equally cold and wet body.

The elevator stopped at floor 3, and a few people got out. The others paused, eying Kiki then nodding at each other. Kiki watched on in silent mortification as they all left the elevator, shaking their heads at her.

"I was trying to save someone's life," she grumbled to herself as the doors closed on her again.

Kiki pressed all the numbers the others had chosen, deactivating their selections. She did not want to have to stop again. She just wanted to get to Mars's room without any further delays. She knew Trixie was alright, and that was all that mattered.

Kiki looked down at her watch as she reached the tenth floor. She had made it with just over five minutes to spare. Sighing with relief, and even allowing herself to smile slightly, Kiki stepped out of the elevator, walking along the corridor. Again, she counted the doors out loud as she passed them.

"One… Two… Three… Four!"

Kiki walked into Mars's room, spinning around to face his bed. Her smile vanished, and the sound of her belongings hitting the floor hard caused Trixie to turn round.

"Kiki!" Trixie greeted her, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Where's Mars?" Kiki asked, suddenly aware that she was swaying on the spot.

She wondered briefly if it was her reaction to the cold that was causing her to lose her balance, or if she was about to faint again; either way, she certainly did not feel good.

"He left, Kiki," Trixie quietly replied. "I got here just after 11, and he was gone. He didn't sign himself out, he just ran off. They think he jumped out the window, but since his smashed corpse isn't lying out there on the street, I don't think that could be right."

"He left at 11?"

"Yeah."

"But he said he wasn't going to leave until noon! Did he leave a note? Did he say where he was going?"

"No. Nothing. I didn't see him go, Kiki, no-one did. Like I said, he didn't even sign himself out. He just disappeared. Pretty much like how he just appeared at the Hercules Factory in the first place…"

Trixie slowly ran her eyes over her friend, a frown forming on her brow at what she saw.

"Is it raining outside?" she asked, glancing out the window.

"No," Kiki sighed.

"And what's that?" Trixie asked, standing up and pointing at Kiki's dropped possessions at her feet. "Is that your travel bag? Were you going somewhere?"

"No," Kiki meekly replied, hanging her head.

"Holy crap, Kiki, were you gonna run away with Mars?"

"Well…"

"Oh my God…"

Trixie slowly walked up to Kiki, reaching her hands out to her friend's shoulders.

"Kiki, what happened?" she asked softly.

"I guess I messed up," Kiki whispered. "Again. You were right all along, Trixie. I should have listened to you."

"What?" Trixie echoed. "Oh no, Kiki, I wasn't right! I was wrong! I was so very, very wrong! I never should have said those things to you! I was down right mean! You and Roxanne are my best friends, and you have both stood by me through so much! I swear I never meant to hurt your feelings, I was just confused and angry."

"I know you weren't trying to hurt my feelings," Kiki agreed, looking up at her friend. "You were very kindly trying to put me on my guard, and I ignored you. You tried to do it nicely, and I ignored you, so you did it bluntly, and still I ignored you."

"I didn't know he was DMP, Kiki. If I had known, I would have told you, I swear."

"It's okay."

"It's not okay. I've such a bitch lately. I've mistreated you, my dearest, sweetest friend, and I've just been awful to poor Terry. I think it goes without saying that I've so totally ruined all my chances with him now."

"He looked pretty mad at the diner yesterday."

"He was furious. And he really cared about me, too. I was just… Honestly Kiki, I was scared. And now I've screwed it up forever."

"I guess I could say the same thing. I was too scared, and now I've messed things up with Mars."

Trixie smiled to herself, turning away from Kiki as she tried to think of how best to word her next question.

"I know what you're thinking," Kiki said, rolling her eyes. "You're thinking I was crazy for falling for an "evil supervillain", right?"

"Not exactly," Trixie said, repressing a smirk. "I mean, the guy was totally hot!"

Kiki began to laugh at Trixie's remark, but soon found her laughter turning to sobs as tears began to run down her already wet face.

"Kiki, where the heck were you, anyway?" Trixie asked, lifting a strand of dripping wet hair from her friend's face.

"In the lake," Kiki sobbed.

"I can see that," Trixie said. "But what were you doing in the lake? There's a swimming pool much closer to your place, and it's heated!"

"I was looking for you. I got a message from you saying you were hurt!"

"You did? That's pretty weird. What time did you get it?"

"About 11:15."

"Oh. I didn't have my phone at 11:15. I lost it. I only found it again just before you phoned me to say you were on your way to see me. It was the strangest thing. I found it lying just outside this room. And I'd never been up here before then."

"That is weird. So I guess it must have been someone else who sent that message."

"You don't reckon someone did it deliberately, do you?"

"How do you mean?"

"Well, someone might have done it to stop you from getting here on time."

"Maybe. But even if I had gotten here straight away, I still would have been too late. I got here at 11:15."

"I got here just before that, and Mars was already gone."

"Then I guess the only thing that odd message achieved was to get me soaking wet!"

"Oh man, that sucks, Kiki. I'm so sorry. For everything. Can we just start over?"

"Sure."

"Let's agree to that stupid oath Roxanne made up."

"Boys on the side?"

"Exactly!"

Trixie held out a hand to Kiki, but Kiki smiled, reaching her arms around Trixie's shoulders and pulling her into a hug.

"I've missed you, Kiki," Trixie said, wrapping her arms around Kiki's waist.

"I missed you too," Kiki replied. "It sucked not having anyone to tell me how stupid I looked in that awful green dress!"

"Hey, you actually looked pretty darn cute in that thing!"

Trixie held her friend at arm's length, smiling warmly down at her.

"Really?" Kiki asked.

"Yeah!" Trixie said slowly.

"You sound surprised."

"I am! I never would have thought someone with an ass the size of yours could have gotten away with that cut, but you really pulled it off!"

"Well, it's nice to know some things haven't changed!"

Both girls laughed, hugging each other again.

"Come on, Kiki," Trixie said as they released each other. "Let's get you cleaned up before you catch pneumonia, or something."

"Good idea," Kiki sighed.

Trixie held up Kiki's jacket for her, helping her into it. Kiki smiled her gratitude, before bending down to grab up her bag and her phone.

"Okay?" Trixie asked her.

"I will be," Kiki replied with a sigh.

Trixie smiled, draping an arm across her friend's shoulders as they slowly walked out of the room together. As they walked to the elevator, neither girl noticed the person standing by the door of the room they had just left; but Dik Dik saw them, smiling to himself as he watched them leave.

"I'm sorry Kiki," he muttered. "But there was no way I could have let you leave with that monster. I only hope that one day you will understand why I had to do what I did."

* * *

Once Kiki had cleaned off the lake water and changed into dry clothing, Trixie took her to the local carnival, explaining that Roxanne and Kid were there, and they should really try to catch up with Roxanne.

"She was kinda pissed at Kid's match the other day," Trixie said as they neared the carnival entrance.

"Why?" Kiki asked.

"Well, she could sense stuff was going on, and she was annoyed she was being left out of it all."

"I guess so. I didn't call her after Dik Dik's match, and I said I would."

"Yeah, well we both know what I was doing in between Mars beating Dik Dik and Kid beating Mars. The question is, what were you up to, Kiki?"

"I…"

Kiki smiled to herself as she replayed the night at the lake inside her mind.

"A faraway expression fell over Kiki's face, and a girly smile appeared. Her eyes sparkled, and Trixie became furious in her desperation to know what was going on…" Trixie said, mocking Mac Metaphor's voice.

Kiki laughed, shaking her head at her friend's joke.

"I went out to look for you," she began.

"And you found me," Trixie grumbled.

"And then I went to look for Roxanne."

"And you didn't find her?"

"No, I did find her. She was with Kid, and they looked all happy, and in love."

Trixie stuck out her tongue and aimed two fingers at her throat to mimic vomiting.

"It was a bit sickening, actually," Kiki quietly agreed. "So I walked on, and I ended up at the lake. Eska – I mean, Mars was there."

"Oh really?" Trixie said, her eyes sparkling. "Do tell!"

"Well…"

"Oh my God! Kiki, you dark horse!"

"Yeah…"

"Man, I never thought you'd do anything that daring in your entire life! I'm shocked!"

"Not that it matters now…I thought it meant something."

"Men. You never know what they're thinking!"

"I thought I did with Mars. After we… Well, y'know… He… He did something really weird. It was what he did then that made me think he cared. Or maybe he just did it because he was screwed up, I dunno."

Trixie arched her eyebrows expectantly at Kiki, awaiting an explanation for her musings. When Kiki remained silent, Trixie groaned, rolling her eyes impatiently.

"Kiki?" she pressed.

"Huh?" Kiki responded, blinking up at Trixie.

"What did Mars do?" Trixie asked.

"What did Mars do when?" Kiki asked.

Trixie growled in frustration at her friend's ditzy response.

"What was it that he did that made you think he cared?" Trixie said, punctuating each word as she tried to control her patience.

"Well, I don't actually know if he did do it as such…" Kiki began, her face creasing thoughtfully. "I mean, he was totally quiet, and we were both wet from swimming in the lake, so it could have been an illusion. I probably imagined it. Yeah, I think it's probably really just me speculating-"

"Kiki, just tell me what he did already!"

"He cried."

"He did what?"

"Yeah, I think I must have imagined it, because it seems so unlikely."

"He cried after you…?"

"Yeah."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

Trixie nodded her head pensively, and the two walked along in silence for a few moments, as Trixie processed this information.

"So where do you think he went, anyway?" she eventually asked Kiki. "Do you think he went back to the DMP?"

"I don't think so," Kiki replied, shaking her head. "He told me he couldn't go back."

"He also told Kid he would come back to fight him someday after Kid beat him," Trixie pointed out. "And maybe he will. I'm sure we'll see Mars again one day, Kiki. Jaeger and Checkmate both got into the Muscle League, and Vance McMadd is pushing them as the top new superstars of the IWF. And he did honour the fact that Mars was a Hercules Factory graduate. I'm sure Vance would let him come back if he wanted to. He's already proved he can draw in the crowds."

Kiki nodded at Trixie's attempt to reassure her; but deep down inside, Kiki was not so sure that Mars ever would come back. He had left before the noon deadline he had given her, so obviously he had never intended to take her with him in the first place; which seemed to suggest to her that he had only made the offer to spare her feelings. It also made her believe that he would be gone for good.

"It's not fair!"

Trixie and Kiki stopped short, turning to face each other to exchange expressions of sufferance. When they turned back, they saw Kid Muscle, a short distance ahead of them, beating his fists off of a toy crane machine, hitting it so hard, the claw suspended within was swaying back and forth. A short distance from him, Roxanne was standing back, her arms folded, watching him with a look of despair.

As Kid beat at the machine, something fell into the prize drawer with a resounding clunk, causing him to scream with delight. He grabbed it out, turning to show it to Roxanne, his face alight with childish glee.

"Look, Roxanne, I did it!" he rejoiced.

"Yeah. And it only cost you like ten bucks worth of change…" she grumbled.

"But Roxanne…"

Kid held the small plastic ball up in front of his face, frowning at it curiously. He popped it open, pulling out the contents. Trixie and Kiki groaned and sweatdropped as he tossed aside the majority of the plastic novelties inside the ball, looking more and more disappointed as he sifted through each item.

"He is such a goofball," Trixie muttered to Kiki.

"Yeah, but he's got a good heart," Kiki whispered back.

"Yeah, and I guess he does totally love Roxanne."

They both nodded, watching as Kid's face suddenly lit up again, a gormless grin of delight plastering itself across his masked face. He dropped the plastic ball, holding up the one small item that seemed to please him.

"Look Roxanne, it's a pretty ring!" he said, skipping over to Roxanne.

"Kid, you're completely insane, y'know that?" Roxanne sighed.

Kid ignored her comment, lifting her left hand and slipping the ring onto her finger.

"Wow, it actually fits perfectly!" Roxanne laughed, holding up her hand to admire the gaudy plastic ornament.

"Roxanne," Kid said closing his hands around her hand.

"Yes, Kid?"

Kid held her hand in front of his face, looking down at the ring for a moment, his throat visibly moving as he gulped back his nerves.

"I was just wondering…" he began, lifting his chin to look into her eyes.

"Yes, Kid?" Roxanne asked, her smile fading as she caught the serious look in his eyes.

"Roxanne, would you marry me?" Kid asked, wincing as soon as the words had left his mouth, as though he expected an adverse reaction from his girlfriend.

"Oh… My… God!" Trixie hissed.

Trixie and Kiki watched on in silence, waiting anxiously for their friend's response. Roxanne frowned at Kid, at first looking as though she had not understood his question. But slowly her face changed, and a smile replaced her frown. She stepped towards Kid, and stretched up onto her toes, kissing him lightly on the lips.

Trixie and Kiki turned to face each other, each as shocked as the other with what they had just witnessed.

* * *

 **The End**


End file.
